Jazeke customarily sits at the second lab table in my sophomore physics class, his slender elbows resting lightly on the cool black tabletop. Covertly intrigued by any science that's "cool," Jazeke can often be seen arranging the motion sensors, data charts, and chemical rocket components neatly in the middle of the table. Rolling up the bright orange sleeves of his Abercrombie and Fitch shirt, he frequently throws me that "don't call on me, but do" look. I must admit, he's one of my favorite students.
But this week, Jazeke appears distracted. Homework assignments are missing. He strains to concentrate, and dark circles deepen under his eyes. I notice he blows off his best friend, Franklin, when asked, "Wassup, man?" Something furtive is creeping into his body language. By week's end, even his upscale woman-magnet hygiene slips.
As the teacher of such a promising science student, I am tempted to give him a whispered wake-up call, "Jazeke! No one does lazy in my class!" Instead, I ask him to stay a minute after class. "What's going on? Is something bothering you?"
Long pause. "Yes, miss. But you can't tell nobody." Jazeke's father was laid off five months ago; they were upside down on their mortgage. Last week, Jazeke lived in a middle-class neighborhood; this week he lives in a shelter. Because he's 16, he and his father had to go to one shelter while his mother and sisters went to another. He misses his mom, with whom he's quite close, and their 8-year-old dalmatian, Rumpus, who had to be dropped off at the animal shelter.
Jazeke falls silent, clearly numb. I am quiet, too. Grateful that I muffled my imagined "wake-up call," I can only admire the courage it took for Jazeke to share the truth.
Now I can't help wondering: Is there any way I can help this student whose once luminous eyes are now glazed over and who is intent on hiding from even his best friend the greatest tragedy of his young life thus far?
Faces of Homelessness
Jazeke mightily shatters the traditional image of homelessness. Put six pictures around the room on the walls: a grandmother and granddaughter, a teenager asleep on a park bench, two parents and their six children outside a mobile home, a 10-year-old sleeping on a couch, a father and his newborn, and a wizened man pushing a cart full of plastic bags. Ask teachers and principals to stand under the picture of someone most likely to be homeless. Crowds will gather under the man with the cart.
Most educators are only gradually awakening to the fact that many of their students may not have homes. In fact, approximately 40 percent of the 3.5 million homeless Americans—between 1.4 and 1.5 million—are children (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2009). Further, data suggest that one in 50 U.S. children experiences homelessness in any given year (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2009). These children—pushed out of their homes as a result of economic hardship, foreclosure, eviction, or abuse—may be in any classroom, in any row, at any lab table. Younger children are more likely to talk about their difficult living situation, but for students in upper elementary and beyond, the stigma is harsh.
It's understandable that most educators are not fully aware of the prevalence and signs of homelessness or the federal laws that have been in effect since 1987 to protect homeless students. Few certification programs delve into significant detail about how to identify or help students in unstable or homeless situations. So if teachers or principals learn that one of their students has recently become homeless, what can they do?
The Liaison: A Crucial Role
The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 and last reauthorized and amended as the McKinney-Vento law in 2001 (Project Hope-Virginia, 2009), requires every school district to appoint a homeless liaison. Ideally, the liaison is a highly trained advocate who is thoroughly familiar with the law's requirements (see "What Are the Rights of Homeless Children?") and who works to creatively facilitate homeless students' academic and social success.
"When I came to this district three years ago," says Nancy, director of federal programs at a suburban school district, "they told me we didn't have any homeless students. I asked what we would do if one of our kids did become homeless, and they said we would refer them to the homeless liaison. 'Who is that?' I asked. 'Well, I guess that would be you.'"
After Nancy received training in the definition of homelessness, she discovered that some 55 students in the district were, in fact, homeless.
The backgrounds or preparation of the individuals who fill the role of homeless liaison vary greatly from school district to school district. Large districts with many homeless students may have one or more full-time liaisons; smaller districts usually fold this responsibility into other positions, such as Title I director, director of federal programs, director of counseling, grants director, assistant superintendent, or principal.
It is the liaison's job to keep teachers, counselors, and front-office personnel informed about the law. At times, registrars and school administrative assistants may hold a family's very future in their hands, as was the case for the Bourgeois family.
When the Bourgeois family fled Hurricane Katrina, registrars in the first two districts they approached refused to enroll their three children because they couldn't show birth certificates, school records, immunization papers, or, in one case, proof of residency. After the third school district refused admission, 16-year-old Tiara dropped out and got a fast-food job. At long last, when the family reached their cousin's house in Tennessee and settled in to regroup, they encountered a front-office staff that was well informed and who welcomed the family warmly regardless of their ability to show records.
The liaison also collaborates with registrars to systematically query students regarding their living situation, using a form sometimes called a residency questionnaire. Carefully worded to avoid the term homeless, these questionnaires are routinely gathered at the beginning of each year. Registrars notify the liaison about responses that indicate students may not have a stable residence.
Despite systematic efforts, however, underidentification of homeless students is widespread. Because of the stigma of homelessness, families may not fill in questionnaires accurately. Parents may feel that they have failed their children if they admit that their housing is unstable. Victims of abuse may be afraid to share their residence information. Teens on their own may not want their parents to find them. For numerous reasons, homeless students often are not recognized and do not receive the services they desperately need.
Identifying Homeless Students
Under the McKinney-Vento law, children who lack a "fixed, regular, and adequate" residence are considered homeless. Children living in parks, bus stations, cars, shelters, abandoned or foreclosed buildings, and so on are relatively easy to identify as homeless. What educators sometimes miss is that the law's definition also includes "children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason" (National Center for Homeless Education, n.d.). Trinity Byers is an example of such a student.
When Trinity ran away from her abusive stepfather to live with her aunt in an adjacent district, she struggled to find rides back and forth to Lombardi High. She was frequently tardy or absent. Her grades fell; she become petulant and moody. Afraid that she might fail a grade, her aunt suggested that Trinity go to the high school just down the street, but Trinity was adamant about not losing her friends. Her fear was so overwhelming that she wrote about it in her daily English class journal.
When Trinity's English teacher became aware of her struggle, he contacted the school counselor (who was also the homeless liaison) to see whether anything could be done. Fortunately, the law provides transportation for homeless students to the school of origin—the school the student was attending when he or she became homeless. Identifying Trinity as homeless made a fundamental difference in her future. Now that Trinity was assured of a ride to and from school every day, her attendance picked up. She kept her friends and was promoted to the next grade.
Thus, the caring detective radar of every teacher is an indispensable tool for identifying homeless students in preK–12 schools. Students frequently become homeless midyear or between distributions of residency questionnaires. Teachers may overhear students discussing the fact that they are "couch-surfing." More crucially, if teachers observe the following signs, they should consider the possibility that a student has become homeless.
Depression
Students who become homeless experience many personal losses and endure jarring conditions. They often have a tremendous fear of changing schools and losing their friends. In a shelter or doubled-up setting, they may encounter crowded conditions and lack an appropriate space to do homework. Food may be unfamiliar, available only during certain hours, or scarce; roommates may be incompatible. Prized possessions, such as a teddy bear, game player, or CD collection, may be lost or stolen. Pets, often an emotional anchor in a child's life, may have to be given up. There seems to be little to hold onto.
Students who do not normally display the symptoms of depression but suddenly become listless, pessimistic, or jaded may have become homeless. For students with unstable housing who frequently move in and out of homelessness, each move adds a measure of disorientation and anxiety that may rapidly become chronic.
Students from 11 to 17 years old who are homeless or highly mobile are twice as likely to commit suicide as students with stable housing. If the family moves more than 10 times, children are four times more likely to attempt suicide than those who never moved (Qin, Mortensen, & Pederson, 2009). For students who are highly mobile or homeless, counseling and therapy are not luxuries, but crucial tools for mental health in a bleak and seemingly endless cycle.
Poor Health, Hygiene, and Nutrition
Other signals that a student may be homeless include an escalation in colds, asthma, allergies, rashes, or other illnesses that threaten regular attendance and concentration. Seldom will a homeless student have a doctor's excuse for absences; health care is rare among students experiencing homelessness. Students who normally exhibit excellent self-care may now arrive in class with rumpled clothing and poor hygiene, or they may wear the same outfit over and over. They may hoard food in their backpacks or sneak it in class.
Chronic Stress
High levels of anxiety and stress are to be expected in both chronically and newly homeless students. Students may be unable to concentrate or memorize; they may fall asleep in class. Chronic stress affects the executive function of the brain, so students may be unable to plan projects, keep materials organized, pay attention, negotiate unexpected events in the classroom, or control their emotions. They may be unable to trust anyone, thinking that their secret is about to be disclosed and feeling that they are no longer in control of their lives.
Students' body language may become quite defensive, exuding a pervasive sense of loss and panic. Anger and fear of discovery may lead to lying, aggression, or withdrawal. Sadly, economic hardship may preclude participation in some of the activities that students could use for stress relief. Participation in sports, band and orchestra, or school clubs may no longer be possible because transportation to school events and resources for uniforms, instrument rental, or field trips have disappeared. Students may become loners—a response that may be exacerbated by bullying over their poor hygiene, dirty clothes, and unconventional living situation.
The Power to Make a Difference
Being homeless does not mean being hopeless. When school personnel are sensitive and supportive, school can be a place where students in homeless situations receive much-needed structure, reliable relationships, physical and emotional nurture, and motivation.
Teachers can start by being aware that when unusual discipline issues erupt, they may be symptoms of a deeper problem. Caution is always in order; escalating conflict with a child who is struggling with homelessness ("What's wrong with you, young lady? You never bring in your homework!") can bring about a devastating moment in a young life. Abusive behavior, such as peer bullying, humiliation, or sarcasm toward homeless youth, must be calmly and firmly eliminated from the classroom.
In terms of instruction, teachers can use strategies that work well for students under stress, such as active participation, teamwork, investigative learning, community building, hands-on projects, and so on. Teachers who know about a student's living situation should also remember that it's difficult to complete homework in a shelter. Shelters are often noisy; inevitably, there are lights-out times; there is little space to complete assignments; and computers are often unavailable or broken. Children living in shelters, outdoors, in cars, or in doubled-up situations frequently lose backpacks, calculators, pens, and books to theft.
Teachers should be cautious about "draw your home" assignments that would require students to either go underground about their situation or risk being stigmatized. Caution is also in order when assignments require outside equipment or materials; if students have not been identified and assisted, they may not have the resources to buy supplies for school projects, go on field trips, or travel to peers' homes to complete assignments.
Teachers who suspect that a student may be homeless can contribute tremendously to his or her well-being by having a simple conversation. Teachers should avoid using the word homeless, but should instead ask whether the student is experiencing some transition or change. Is anything going on that the student is willing to share? Would the student like an opportunity to talk to someone about these changes?
If the teacher confirms that the student may be homeless, he or she should contact the homeless liaison, who can quietly make helpful resources available. For high school students especially, identification can be a life-changing improvement; for example, scholarships and significant assistance through financial aid have recently become available (see National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, 2009).
Homeless students may feel they have little to look forward to as they face the daily struggle of finding a decent place to sleep, food to eat, and a sense of stability. But aware and caring teachers have the power to build an emotional home in the classroom and, as many do every day, save the life and future of a child.
What Are the Rights of Homeless Children?
Students in homeless situations have the right to
Be identified as homeless and receive Title I services and other supports to ensure their academic success.
Be immediately enrolled in school despite their unstable housing situation and despite their inability to produce documents ordinarily required of students who have a permanent residence.
Receive assistance in procuring school records.
Be allowed to stay in the school they attended when they became homeless or the school in which they were last enrolled (called school of origin).
Be transported from their current place of residence to the school of origin to reduce the need for them to transfer from school to school.
Receive free school nutrition.
Receive referrals to medical, mental health, dental, and other appropriate services.
Receive assistance in acquiring school supplies, standard dress or uniforms, backpacks, and other provisions needed to succeed in school.
Source: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Retrieved from National Center for Homeless Education at http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/mv_full_text.pdf
What Can Teachers Do?
Be sensitive to the possibility that students in your classroom may be homeless.
If you sense that a student may be in such a situation, contact the district's homeless liaison.
Be available for conversation if the student wishes to confide in you, but don't push the student into conversation on the topic.
If you assign homework requiring supplies or materials, ensure that all students have access to needed items; ask the homeless liaison to help.
Discuss readings, stories, news articles, movies, or literature that explores economic hardship, families without homes, or characters who are resilient; assign writing activities that include these topics as options.
Do a homelessness awareness activity, such as gathering food, hygiene items, or school supplies for others.
Create an atmosphere of community in the classroom in which all students' feelings and situations are accepted and stigmatization is out of the question.
What Behaviors May Indicate Homelessness?
Falling asleep in class; overall exhaustion.
Frequently asking others for food, exhibiting physical weakness, hoarding snacks, or showing signs of eating disorders.
Poor hygiene.
Inappropriate dress (repeatedly wearing the same clothes or shoes or not following dress guidelines).
Increased failure to turn in homework.
Change in behavior, such as lethargy, anger, despair, poor attention, outbursts, or any form of noncooperation with usual classroom practices.
Video Resources
The following videos can help educators understand the challenges of homeless students and the value of relationships in these students' lives:
My Own Four Walls. Gives voice to more than 75 children and youth who share their experiences with homelessness. 20 minutes; $40. Available from HEAR US; 630-225-5012; www.hearus.us.
On the Edge. Chronicles the struggles of seven women trying to escape homelessness in small towns and resort communities across the United States. 60 minutes. For price and availability, contact HEAR US; 630-225-5012; www.hearus.us.
Room 26. Shows in vibrant detail how one teacher created a home at school for his students from underresourced neighborhoods. $100. Available from Haberman Educational Foundation; 1-800-667-6185; www.habermanfoundation.org.
