Education for Homeless Students

Homeless families with children represent the fastest growing segment of the homeless population; in fact, they constitute about 40 percent of all people who are homeless (Stronge 7). In addition, the most recent estimate of homeless children and youngsters by the United States Department of Education is 744,000 (Stronge 7). These statistics are indeed quite frightening, and they go to show that children constitute a large part of the homeless dilemma. The part of that dilemma that seems most taxing is that of educating such homeless children. How can these kids become active members of society if they are unable to receive a proper public education, the same education that is provided for so many other kids under the Constitution? There are major problems with the way we are handling the education of our homeless youth today, and if we do not address them, we cannot expect the status of homelessness in general to improve any because we will not be attacking the source. If we improve education, then homeless children will grow up to break the cycle of homelessness in their family. That is the key, and the way to do that is to start intervening early. Other methods such as increasing awareness of the homeless situation in the schools, supporting parental involvement, and extending federal aid are also needed, but without early intervention, nothing else will follow.

"Early intervention" is a term that refers to the help and assistance that homeless children receive at an early enough age so as to prevent or change any of the psychological damage caused to them. For example, the importance of a warm, structured, capacity-building environment, such as in a good preschool program, reduces stress, creates opportunities, and pro...

... middle of paper ...

...eless children. In order for anything else to be effective, early intervention has to take place first. In essence, it is the building block of all future achievement, which is no doubt present in the minds of every child, no matter what his or her background.

Works Cited

Daniels, Judy. "Humanistic Interventions for Homeless Students: Identifying and Reducing

Barriers to their Personal Development." Journal of Humanistic Counseling Education & Development 33 (1995): 164-173.

Rafferty, Yvonne. "Legal Issues in Educating Homeless Children." Journal for a Just & Caring Education 5 (1999): 19-34.

Stronge, James H., and Karen Hudson. "Educating Homeless Children and Youth with Dignity and Care." Journal for a Just & Caring Education 5 (1999): 7-19.

Stronge, James H. "Educating Homeless Students." Journal for a Just & Caring Education 1 (1995): 128-142