A newly released study has shown that students dealing with housing instability are more likely to experience chronic absenteeism, low graduation rates, and more frequent suspensions.
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The report, conducted by the Stanford Graduate School of Education, studied students in San Mateo County over a three-year period, seeking to better understand the educational outcome of students experiencing some degree of homelessness.
Researchers found that students with housing instability were six times more likely to be chronically absent and four times more likely not to graduate.
"They live in a fairly unstable situation which makes going to school really difficult," said Amy Gerstein, the executive director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
Conducted between 2016 and 2019, the study found that in San Mateo County, one of the wealthiest counties in the state, 2,600 students experienced homelessness during that time.
"Our hope in this study is to be able to lift up their experiences for folks in districts as well as in local government," she said. "Everyone has an opportunity to help them improve."
The study showed that there are more concentrated areas of homelessness in the county, like the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto and San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, according to a Tuesday press release issued about the report.
While also illuminating the experiences of this part of the student population, the study also highlighted ways that schools could try to help with housing instabilities.
"Make sure they're providing concrete discrete opportunities to identify these families, identify children who may be experiencing these challenges," said Gerstein.
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