A groundbreaking collaboration between SchoolHouse Connection and the University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions has produced detailed, interactive data profiles that illuminate the often-invisible crisis of child and youth homelessness in the United States.
The newly released data profiles analyze federal information spanning four years, offering an unprecedented look into the educational challenges faced by students experiencing homelessness. These comprehensive resources provide decision-makers at local, state, and national levels with actionable insights into a complex social issue.
The interactive dashboard enables users to explore homelessness trends across multiple geographic scales, from national and state levels to local communities, U.S. Congressional districts, and state legislative districts. Critically, the profiles help school districts identify potential under-reporting of students experiencing homelessness and highlight districts that are severely underfunded in addressing these challenges.
Key features of the data profiles include the ability to compare educational outcomes between homeless students and their housed peers. Indicators such as chronic absenteeism and graduation rates reveal the profound educational disparities experienced by students without stable housing.
Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, emphasized the importance of these data profiles, stating that child and youth homelessness remains largely invisible in communities and schools. By providing detailed, accessible data, the profiles aim to shed light on the harmful impacts of homelessness on student attendance and academic achievement.
Jennifer Erb-Downward from Poverty Solutions noted that making this information easily accessible to decision-makers is crucial for developing comprehensive strategies to prevent and solve homelessness.
The organizations will host a webinar to demonstrate the dashboard's features and discuss key findings, offering participants guidance on navigating the interactive tool, interpreting data trends, and using the information to inform local and state policy.
These data profiles represent a significant step toward understanding and addressing the systemic challenges of youth homelessness, providing a data-driven approach to developing targeted interventions and support systems for some of society's most vulnerable students.
