Imagine the fear and anxiety of suddenly becoming homeless. Now imagine you are a child. And in addition to the chaos that suddenly fills your world, you also have to leave the only other stable place you know — your school.
Too often this has been the plight of homeless children — the fastest growing segment of “new” homeless. Increases in foreclosure rates, unemployment and the recession have caused a sharp rise in the number of homeless youths entering our schools nationwide. While these children represent the full range of talents and abilities, they are among the most educationally at-risk: 45 percent do not attend school regularly — a significant predictor of dropping out; 43 percent repeat a grade; 50 percent fail academically; and only one-third read at grade level.
