Source
Summary
“Research has shown that before students can engage in higher-order thinking and learning, their basic needs must be met, and this is especially critical when addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, including students experiencing homelessness and former foster youth. These students often struggle with unmet physiological and safety needs, such as food, shelter, and emotional security, which can directly affect their ability to focus on academic success. To support these students, educators and policymakers must create a school environment that goes beyond teaching and learning to prioritize access to essential resources and services that can stabilize students’ lives.
Why this Matters
State policy plays a crucial role in creating this environment. By offering tools such as tuition exemptions and comprehensive wraparound services, states can remove barriers to higher education and address the personal, emotional, and logistical challenges students face. Recently, the Florida legislature took steps to enhance access to education and provide additional resources for these vulnerable populations.
In 2022, the legislature passed a bill that expanded eligibility criteria for exemptions to align with the federal definition of homeless children and youth and include students who had been involved in shelter, dependency, or termination of parental rights proceedings. Lawmakers also passed bills that simplified the documentation process and improved on-campus support services to ensure that vulnerable students enroll and succeed in their educational pursuits.
In this essay, we explore whether those new policies affected educational attainment among students experiencing homelessness, former foster youth, and other vulnerable student populations.
Key Takeaways
The data demonstrate a significant upward trend in the use of homelessness fee exemptions across both the Florida College System (FCS) and the State University System (SUS) between 2021–22 and 2023–24. In the FCS, the number of exemptions increased 18 percent. By 2023–24, growth accelerated dramatically, with exemptions nearly doubling—a 71 percent increase from the previous year and a 103 percent overall increase since 2021–22. In contrast, SUS institutions experienced more modest growth, seeing a 14 percent increase between 2021–22 and 2022–23. By 2023–24, exemptions saw a 10 percent increase from the prior year and a 26 percent overall increase since 2021–22.
Although both systems have experienced growth, the FCS has seen significantly larger increases in exemptions compared with the SUS. By 2023–24, the number of exemptions in the FCS was more than three times higher than in the SUS. This disparity suggests that the homelessness exemption policy might have a broader reach or greater impact within the FCS, potentially because of differences in admissions policies, outreach efforts, or the demographic characteristics among the students each system serves.
[Related Report: Washington state saw 40% reduction in youth and young adult homelessness]
Despite these gains, prepolicy implementation trends in both systems highlight deeper structural barriers, such as persistent financial challenges and housing instability, that continue to hinder access and success. To fully realize the policy’s potential, students experiencing homelessness require more targeted outreach and comprehensive support services to ensure they can access and sustain their educational opportunities. Policymakers considering fee exemptions should consider including dedicated appropriations to support institutions in implementing these exemptions effectively. Without such funding, colleges and universities might face financial strains that could affect their ability to maintain high-quality instruction and support services. Policymakers might also consider funding holistic wraparound supports, such as counseling and housing assistance, which can enhance educational achievement for vulnerable students by addressing factors that affect their ability to enroll, persist, and succeed in higher education.”
[Related Grant Opportunity: Mentoring for at-risk youth program grants]
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