Factors That Influence the Education of District of Columbia Black Homeless Youth: Racial Inequality, Poverty and Consecutive Educational Reform

Abstract: Federal law defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 1987). Youth and families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the country (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2011; Department of Housing and Human Development [HUD], 2010; US Conference of Mayors, 2011), which resulted in a dramatic rise in the number of homeless students (Flannery, 2010. Researchers have identified the factors that impede the education of homeless students, yet despite their bleak conditions homeless youth successfully graduate from high school (Chibbaro, 2011). The District of Columbia (Washington, DC) is experiencing a dramatic increases in the number of homeless families (Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments [MCWOG], 2013). This paper explores the common social conditions District of Columbia black homeless high school aged youth share, and the factors that hinder their education.

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Authors: Mai Abdul Rahman