ERIC Number: EJ1040910
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Sep
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 80
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0042-0972
Living and Learning at the Intersection: Student Homelessness and Complex Policy Environments
Pavlakis, Alexandra E.
Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v46 n3 p445-475 Sep 2014
In urban districts, homeless and highly mobile students are an important contributor to achievement disparities-and their numbers are rising. To date there has been little inquiry into how broader education and housing policies shape the schooling experiences of homeless and highly mobile families. Using semi-structured interviews with 132 key community stakeholders (parents, school social workers, other school staff, and community/service personnel) in one urban area, this study explored how families living at the policy intersection of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and federal rehousing policies, such as the HEARTH Act, experience the schooling process. These policies have important impacts on students; the McKinney-Vento Act provides them with a range of supports while recent federal policies such as the HEARTH Act are shifting where and how they are living. Taking a policy perspective and drawing insights from Lin's network theory of social capital, the findings suggest that these policies both independently and concomitantly shape families' life opportunities. Implications for schools, communities, and scholars are addressed.
Descriptors: Homeless People, Urban Areas, School Districts, Student Mobility, Social Capital, Educational Policy, Housing, Semi Structured Interviews, Stakeholders, Parents, School Social Workers, Federal Legislation, Achievement Gap
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act 1987

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