Schools work to expand services for homeless students as graduation rates drop

By Robert Davis

Photo :Chuttersnap/Unsplash

Schools are working to expand services for those in need as Colorado’s four-year graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness continues to drop. 

According to the latest figures from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the graduation rate for homeless students in the state dropped by 3.1% last year down to 53.6%. For comparison, the overall graduation rate for the Class of 2021 is 81.9%. 

Since 2014, the graduation rate for homeless students has fallen by more than 12% and more than 700 fewer of these students are graduating from Colorado high schools today. And if the statistics aren’t sobering enough, some worry the pandemic may broaden this gap in the future. 

Paula Gumina, the state coordinator for homeless youth education within CDE’s Office of Student Support, told Denver Voice that the unique set of challenges that homeless students face all impact a student’s ability to graduate within four years. Those challenges often include unreliable transportation and issues stemming from personal trauma. 

For these reasons, schools and districts across the state have made their graduation requirements more flexible for students, including adding options for technical education and high school equivalency studies, Gumina said. This is one reason why CDE’s seven-year graduation rate for homeless students is more than 10 points higher than the four-year rate. 

“As COVID-19 continues to disrupt education, services, and life across the country, it is important to remember that children and youth experiencing homelessness are exceptionally vulnerable,” Gumina said. “The complete impacts of the pandemic are yet to emerge, and we have a hill to climb in outreach, identification, and engagement of students experiencing homeless so they can thrive in school.”

Schools often serve as a resource hub for many homeless students because they can provide free food, medical care, behavioral health support, opportunities to socialize, and so much more. With the Omicron variant spreading throughout the state school system, some students may not receive these resources if schools are forced to return to a remote or hybrid model. Similarly, others may simply choose to attend to more basic needs like finding food and shelter. 

“Many older youths have had to leave school for periods of time to help support their families and or at the very least assist younger siblings with remote learning which has impacted their own academics, Anna Theisen, program manager for Denver’s Public School’s Homeless Education Network (HEN), told Denver Voice. “A portion of our students are also unaccompanied, and we are working to provide additional support to this population.”

According to the latest McKinney-Vento Act statistics, there are more than 21,416 students experiencing homelessness across the state. Approximately 10% of the statewide total reside in the Denver County School District, giving it the fifth-largest population of homeless students in the state. If these numbers seem high, it is in part because the Act defines homelessness broadly to include settings such as families doubling-up in the same housing unit and students who are couch surfing. 

However, few students experience homelessness alone as the latest Point in Time Count only identified 118 unaccompanied youths, all of whom lived in either an emergency shelter or a transitional home. That is one reason why the McKinney-Vento Act requires schools to provide homeless students at any grade level with services that can reduce the burden on families, including free transportation to school, free meals, and additional tutoring. 

HEN works with schools in the Denver School District to ensure they are meeting these federal requirements. It also provides additional resources for homeless students such as school supplies, clothing, emergency food, and hygiene supplies. 

Theisen said that the organization has recently expanded its services to include a dental screening program and it provides free cell phones to older students through a partnership with Premier Mobile, a subsidiary of T-Mobile. The phones have unlimited 5-G data plans and few restrictions on what websites they can access. For example, students can log in to their social media accounts, look at job boards, or find housing and other resources through websites like Craigslist. 

As schools return for the next semester, Theisen said HEN will continue to expand its post-secondary planning and drop-out recovery programs to help students stay in school. Those who choose to leave can receive assistance transferring to another school or program that better suits their needs. For students who will receive their diploma this spring, the organization will also help to secure caps and gowns, as well as pay off any graduation fees for homeless students. 

“We know that this work is so important, and we are taking a targeted and collaborative approach to support our students,” Theisen said.