You asked (1) what Connecticut's law, regulation, or practice is regarding educating homeless children; (2) for information on homeless children in Connecticut; and (3) for studies on the effect of homelessness on educational achievement.

SUMMARY

Connecticut law requires a school district to provide school accommodations to all children who live in the district. It does not distinguish among children according to whether or not they have permanent homes. In addition, if a child lives in a temporary shelter, the law allows him go to school in the district where he lives permanently or in the district where the shelter is located. Federal law grants similar options to homeless students. Federal law also requires states and school districts that receive federal funds for educating homeless children to remove administrative and legal barriers to educating such children and to give homeless children equal access to educational programs.

According to data provided by the Department of Social Services (DSS), 2,742 children and youth lived in DSS-funded homeless shelters in Connecticut between October 2000 and September 2001. Of these, 1,278 were under the age of five. Of the remaining 1,464, most were between the ages of six and 12.

Studies and articles document that homelessness has an adverse effect on student achievement and correlates with other barriers to education, including poverty, low self-esteem, social stigma, and high mobility. Students who are homeless are more likely to drop out of school, repeat grades, and be placed in special education.

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Law

In general, under Connecticut law, children must attend school in the district where they live. But a child living in a temporary shelter may go to school either in the district where he would be living if he did not need temporary shelter or in the district where the shelter is located. The district where the child normally lives must either continue providing schooling, including transportation, to a child living in a shelter in another district or pay tuition to the shelter's district so the child can go to school there.

If the school district where the child would otherwise be living cannot be identified, the district where the shelter is located is financially responsible for educating the child. If the child needs special education and is placed in the shelter by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) after July 1, 1995, either the school district where the child lived immediately before being placed or DCF must pay for special education. The law defines a "temporary shelter" as a facility that provides emergency shelter for a limited, specified time (CGS Sec. 10-253(e)).

Federal Law

Connecticut receives federal funding for education programs for homeless children under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which was amended and reauthorized by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (PL 107-110). The McKinney-Vento Act requires state and local education agencies receiving funding to ensure homeless children equal access to public education, including preschool and after school programs, and to review any laws, regulations, or practices that are barriers to the education of homeless children.

(McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title VII, Subtitle B, 42 U. S. C. 11431 et seq. , as reauthorized, copy enclosed, http: //www. ed. gov/legislation/ESEA02/pg116. html)

Funding

To receive federal funding, states must adopt a plan that includes procedures for (1) identifying homeless children and assessing their special needs; (2) ensuring that they have equal access to public pre-schools, elementary and secondary schools, before and after school care, and opportunities to meet the same state achievement standards as other children; and (3) addressing transportation problems and problems caused by immunization and residency requirements, lack of documentation (such as birth certificates or school records), and guardianship issues. Connecticut's most recent draft plan (April 2002) cites various coordination and information dissemination activities the state will undertake to address these barriers. (A copy of the state plan is enclosed. )

Local education agencies (LEAs) that receive funding must, according to the child's best interest: (1) continue a homeless child's education in his original school (the school he attended when he was permanently housed or where he was last enrolled) for the rest of the school year or, if the family becomes homeless between school years, for the following school year or (2) enroll the student in the regular school in the attendance area where he is actually living. It also requires the LEA to comply with the parent or guardian's request regarding school selection, to the extent feasible. Placements must be made regardless of whether the child is living with homeless parents or has been temporarily placed elsewhere.

Connecticut's draft state plan, the "State Plan for Fiscal Years 2003 - 2007, Education of Homeless Children and Youth," describes the State Department of Education's (SDE) ongoing efforts, in conjunction with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, to implement a Homeless Management Information System. The education commissioner will submit the plan to the State Board of Education on June 12, 2002. SDE employs a coordinator for the education of homeless children and youth (EHCY) to ensure that homeless children have equal access to educational services and programs. The EHCY coordinator uses the PATIENCE strategy to assist LEAs in identifying and assisting homeless children and heighten knowledge of their legal protections. Patience stands for (1) Professional development, (2) Advocacy, (3) Technical assistance, (4) Information, (5) Engagement, (6) Network, (7) Communication, and (8) Evaluation.

Connecticut receives federal funds under the McKinney-Vento Act to carry out activities in compliance with the act. The act requires states to distribute at least 75% of their allocation to LEAs. The state plan enables LEAs and regional education service centers serving identified populations of homeless children to apply for competitive sub-grants for programs to ensure homeless children's school enrollment, attendance, and success. For FY 2003, Connecticut will receive $ 512,007 from the federal government to carry out its programs for homeless children and youth. Of this, SDE intends to award 75. 19%, or $ 385,000, to LEAs, and keep 24. 81%, or $ 127,007, for administrative costs. The plan sets the maximum sub-grant amount at $ 19,250. SDE granted 14 sub-grants totaling $ 303,359 to LEAs during the 2001-2002 school year to develop and implement their local programs.

HOMELESS CHILDREN IN CONNECTICUT

The McKinney-Vento Act requires states to report on homeless children and youth to the U. S. Department of Education. According to SDE's most recent draft report, based on data collected by DCF, CCEH, and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, approximately 4,875 Connecticut children experienced homelessness from 2000 to 2001. (The SDE reports contain no information on children living in other types of temporary housing, such as sharing housing with another family or living in cars or on streets. )

DSS data shows that 3,151 school-aged children lived in Connecticut shelters from October 1, 1998 to September 1, 1999. Their grade-levels are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: School Level of Children Living in Shelters 1998 - 1999

Another 286 pre-school-aged children lived in shelters from 1998 to 1999. There is no data on how many of them, if any, were enrolled in pre-school education programs.

The five school districts with the most children living in shelters from 1998 to 1999 are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Districts With Most Children Living in Shelters 1998 - 1999

DSS data also shows that 2,742 children lived in DSS-funded Connecticut shelters from October 2000 to September 2001. The most recent demographic report from DSS shows that from October 2001 to December 2001 (the first quarter of federal fiscal year 2002), 916 children lived in DSS-funded Connecticut shelters. No specific grade levels are available, but breakdowns by age are shown in Tables 3 and 4.

Table 3: Ages of Children Living in Shelters 2000 - 2001

Table 4: Ages of Children Living in Shelters (October 2001 - December 2001)

HOMELESSNESS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE

A computer search of education websites and databases dealing with homeless children yielded the following studies documenting the barriers and difficulties faced by homeless students and the negative effect of homelessness on academic performance.

· Homeless children are nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four times more likely to drop out of school, three times more likely to be placed in special education programs, and twice as likely to score lower on standardized tests as children who are not homeless. Access to Success: Meeting the Educational Needs of Homeless Children and Families (January 1993), Homes for the Homeless.

· Children in homeless families exhibit problem behaviors, sleep disturbances, and developmental delays. Holden, R. and McCormack, L. "Homeless Children: A Special Challenge," Young Children, pp. 61-67 (1992).

· Homelessness has an adverse effect on academic achievement of school-aged children even after they cease to be homeless. The study looked at seven children aged five to eight from 1988-1991. Attles, H. S. E. , The Effects of Homelessness on the Academic Achievement of Children. New York: Garland, 1997.

· Homeless children often have high levels of depression and anxiety and low self-esteem, which they demonstrate through truancy, hyperactivity, and underachievement. Lack of nutrition and lack of sleep caused by shelter noise or stress often lead to cognitive difficulty in reading and calculating and difficulties in concentrating. Goins, B. and Cesarone, B. ED356099 1993-00-00 Homeless Children: Meeting the Educational Challenges. ERIC Digest. (copy enclosed).

· High mobility lowers student achievement and increases rates of school failure and likelihood of dropping out. ED338745 1991-06-00 Highly Mobile Students: Educational Problems and Possible Solutions. ERIC/CUE Digest, Number 73. (copy enclosed).

Searches yielded the following articles describing educational problems and barriers homeless students face including family mobility; poor health; lack of food, clothing, and school supplies; difficulties participating in pre-school and after-school programs; and social isolation and stigma (copies enclosed):

· "Homeless Children Face Obstacles in Education," Associated Press, 8/25/99 http: //www. reporternews. com/1999/texas/home0825. html

· "Education of Homeless Children and Youth," National Coalition for the Homeless, Fact Sheet #10, June, 1999 http: //nch. ari. net/edchild. html

· "Barriers to the Education of Homeless Cited," Education Week, February 9, 2000 http: //www. edweek. org/ew/ewstory. cfm?slug=22homeless. h19&keywords=homeless

· "Educating the Homeless," Teacher Magazine, February 1993 http: //www. edweek. org/tm/vol-04/5homeles. h04

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