This study seeks to draw national implications from an eight-month study of educational obstacles facing homeless youth in four New England states: New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The study found that homeless youths routinely face difficulty securing transportation, trouble catching up after missing school for a lengthy period, depression or anxiety, clashes with teachers, and a perceived lack of respect and compassion for teachers and other personnel. The authors state that the report is not an evaluation of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, but a description of the struggles homeless adolescents face “as they try to navigate their way through school.”
The study does, however, illustrate for advocates and legislators why enforcement of the McKinney Act is a necessary protection for the nation’s homeless children and youth, and how a re-authorized McKinney Act might do more to ensure the education of homeless teens. 35 pages. Free. New England Network, 25 Stow Rd., Foxborough, MA 01719. (978) 266-1998. E-mail: nemw@ma.ultranet.com. www.nenetwork.org.
