Services to Homeless Students and Families: The McKinney-Vento Act and Its Implications for School Social Work Practice

Abstract

Issue Section: Articles ©2006 National Association of Social Workers You do not currently have access to this article. Download all figures In 1987 Congress authorized the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act to p rotect the rights of homeless students and to ensure that they receive the same quality and ap p rop riate education that other students receive. This article summarizes key asp ects of the 2001 reauthorization of the act, now known as the McKinney-Vento Act, outlines how school social workers can become more involved in the imp lementation, and offers suggestions for exp ansion of services and further evaluation of service p rovision effectiveness.

Educational Services for Children in Domestic Violence Shelters: Perspectives of Shelter Personnel

“…Groton and colleagues (Groton et al 2013) found that parent issues presented challenges for school social workers assisting homeless children. Parents experiencing homelessness are in crisis, generally focused on survival needs, which can result in seeing school as a low priority (James and Lopez 2003;Jozefowicz-Simbeni and Israel 2006). Some may fear scrutiny from child protective services if their homeless status becomes known, which can contribute to enrollment delays (James and Lopez 2003;Wong et al 2004).…”

“…A central goal of the MVA is to minimize school mobility and the academic deficits associated with school disruption by facilitating students' ability to continue attending their school of origin despite homelessness (James and Lopez 2003;Jozefowicz-Simbeni and Israel 2006;Miller 2011b;Wong et al 2004). James and Lopez note that the presumption that the original school represents a child's best option is built on both ethical and educational grounds.…”

“…Implementation barriers included insufficient funding, transportation challenges, high and increasing numbers of eligible students, poor coordination between organizations, staff turnover, challenges identifying children experiencing homelessness, low awareness of child needs, and low awareness of the MVA itself by families and school personnel (Groton et al 2013;Jozefowicz-Simbeni and Israel 2006;Miller 2011a, b;Wong et al 2004). James and Lopez (2003) note that provisions on school choice have been difficult to implement and directions on how to fund and implement school choice is not specified in the law.…”

Predicting Risk of Placement: A Population-based Study of Out-of-Home Placement, Child Maltreatment, and Emergency Housing

“…Given the importance of stable attachment relationships for children's early development (Bowlby, 1969), it is critical that the early development and well-being of young children in out-of-home care be addressed. Current child welfare policies mandate that young children involved in the child welfare system be evaluated for early intervention (Jozefowicz-Simbini, Debra, & Israel, 2006;Mahoney, 2007;Markward & Biros, 2001). Although estimates suggest that between 35% and 60% of young children in the child welfare system have an identified developmental delay or biomedical risk, only 10% of these children had an Individualized Family Service Plan within one year of entry to the child welfare system (Administration on Children and Families, 2005).…”

‘Good for Kids’: Children Who have been Homeless Talk about School

“…The issues identified above are often compounded by family poverty, family violence, substance abuse and mental and physical health issues. The effects of these issues added to the experience of homelessness can have a significant impact on parenting (Hernandez Jozefowicz-Simbeni & Israel, 2006).…”