Title:
State of Crisis
Authors:
Bishop, J.P., Camargo Gonzalez, L. & Rivera, E.
Published:
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Center for the Transformation of Schools, 2020
Structure of the Report:
The goal of this report is to explore the types of educational and social supports that 269,000 students experiencing homelessness in California in K-12 may require to be successful in school and life[1]. We also document the unique needs of children and students experiencing homelessness in early learning settings for grades 0-5 through college, including 1 in 5 community college, 1 in 10 California State University (CSU) and 1 in 20 University of California (UC) students. Section I establishes the underlying challenges impacting educational success for students experiencing homelessness. The parameters for state and federal policies to address student homelessness in California are summarized in Section II. Section III of the report captures key findings based on focus groups and interviews with over 150 stakeholders from across the state including service providers, community-based organizations, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and higher education institutions in the state of California (see Appendix B for research methods). In Section IV, we highlight the perspectives of students who have experienced homelessness, exploring how homelessness has affected their capacity to participate and succeed in school. In Section V of the report, we analyze patterns in state data from the 2018-2019 academic school year for school districts and counties. Specifically, we analyze key indicators that influence student academic success, including 1) suspension rates, 2) chronic absenteeism rates, 3) graduation rates, and 4) UC/CSU readiness rates. Implications for lawmakers at all levels of government to address the student homelessness crisis are presented in Section VI. Lastly, Section VII discusses the connections between our findings in this report, and some of the practices, policies, and priorities that can improve services for the growing number of young people living in poverty and experiencing homelessness in the state of California.