Sarah
High
Mrs.
Thomas
SEGL
102
24
March, 2013
Ensuring Educational Success for Children Who Have
No Home to Call Their Own
Throughout American History one can
see the many economic shifts which have affected every citizen in our country. During this there has been one challenging
phenomenon that has continued to exist.
Although the characteristics have varied, homeless persons have walked
the streets and struggled to survive since the birth of America. In the book Homelessness Comes to School, by Joseph Murphy and Kerri Tobin, J
Karabanow is quoted “While homelessness has worn assorted masks at different
times, it has been a steady facet of North American culture with a very long
history.” From beggars and merchants on
the street corner to families in their cars and shelters, one can clearly see
how homelessness has not improved, only transformed over time.
Looking at the homeless in today’s
era, several factors such as a job loss and financial hardship, eviction,
physical abuse, and natural disasters, which include fires may leave an
estimated 2.5 to 3.5 million people
yearly living without a permanent residence (Murphy and Tobin, pg. 47). Out of these individuals, the National
Coalition for the Homeless estimates 30% are families with children. According to the article “Students without
Homes” this leaves between 1.4 and 1.5 million children to be considered
homeless. These heartbreaking numbers are not taken with ease because according
to Peter Miller, the National Association for the Education of Homeless
Children and Youth reported 70% of schools in the country had a substantial
increase in homeless students from 2008 to present.
Children have to face the harsh
realities becoming homeless brings such as losing every possession that is dear
to them and their sense of security. The
young may experience severe and permanent bearings which undoubtedly affect their
educational outcome. Because these
children are at risk for moving often, they are faced with losing connections
to classmates and missing important material being taught. In addition they may also have a difficult
time concentrating in class because of their focus being directed towards the
anxieties caused from their lack of home life, hunger, and hygiene (Murphy and
Tobin, pg. 140). Since homelessness has
severe effects on a child’s physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being, it
also puts substantial delays on their social and academic outcomes. Because of this the Federal Government has
mandated a law for school officials to work closely with the community, other
school administrators, children, and their parents to search for the perfect
solution which will ensure educational success amongst homeless children.
Physical Health Concerns Affecting
Self-Regulation and Intelligence amongst Homeless Children
As a result of the conditions
homeless children have to encounter, including their lack of important
immunizations and proper medical care, they have much higher rates of acute and
chronic health problems (Murphy and Tobin pg. 99). Diana Demont reports, “Homelessness proves to
have severely adverse effects on children’s health conditions since basic
medical and nutritional needs are generally left unmet for children without
housing.” According to the United States
Interagency Council on Homelessness, “Children who are experiencing
homelessness are sick four times more often than other children.” These children are four times more likely to
have respiratory infections and asthma, have double the ear infections, and
have five times more gastrointestinal problems than other children (USICH). Murphy and Tobin put this research into view
by reporting NCFH with, “they are four times higher than the general
population” to have asthma, and “almost one in nine homeless children are
reported to have one or more asthma related health conditions” (Pg. 102). They also report, “In many homeless shelters
infectious diseases like tuberculosis and whooping cough run rampant” (Pg.
103). Homeless children have also been
identified with having higher rates of “significant dermatological problems”
such has lice and scabies (Pg. 103), and without proper shelter are exposed to
the possibilities of rodent and insect bites which could cause rodent-borne
disease (Murphy and Tobin Pg. 102).
Food insecurity also plays a
problematic role for sustaining proper health of homeless children. Although programs such as SNAP, WIC, and
other food subsidies can be obtained, problems such as transportation and a
lack of storage or refrigeration can prevent families of benefitting from these
programs. Meals served at soup kitchens
and shelters also show problems fulfilling the dietary needs of the
homeless. These options are available
through donations, which may only serve a limited number of meals and only at
certain times during the day (Murphy and Tobin, Pg. 86). When it is possible for them to get a hot
meal Murphy and Tobin conclude that, “the food is often high is salt and
carbohydrates, or low in proteins, iron, and vitamins.” In their book they also report 40% of
homeless women with children having gone at least one day without eating and
21% had gone at least four days out of the month; 23% of the mothers said
“there were often times when their children were hungry but there was not
enough food to give them” (Pg. 87). Because of this, homeless children are
seven times more likely to have an iron deficiency which leads to anemia
(USICH) that is 50% worse than other poor children, and those who are six
months to two years old are considered to be at a much greater risk (Murphy and
Tobin Pg. 102). As a result, these
children are faced with greater possibilities of stunted growth and
developmental delays (USICH).
Because these children are subjected
to critical and insufficiently stimulating environments, Developmental delays
such as language development, social skills, and fine and gross motor skills,
especially in young children can occur (DeMont). In Courtney Anderson’s article “Opening
Doors: Preventing Youth Homelessness Through Housing and Education
Collaboration” suggests that a failure in eating nutritional meals will adversely
affect not only cognitive development, which could lead to speech impediments,
but also a child’s behavior. Poor health
can lead to stunted cognitive development which has profound effects on
homeless children’s development (Murphy and Tobin Pg. 104). In the article “Executive Function Skills and
School Success in Young Children Experiencing Homelessness” suggests having a
delayed cognitive development decreases self-regulation or executive function
skills, and are imperative for school adjustment. These children will express problems such as
movement, spatial relationships, expressive language, vocabulary development,
sequencing, and organization, and are often less prepared for advancing to the
next stage of development (Murphy and Tobin Pg. 108).
Various studies indicate that 47% of
homeless children ages 0-5 have at least one developmental delay, 33% had two
or more, and 44% of all homeless children have two or more delays, with 14%
having at least four ( DeMont; Murphy and Tobin, Pg. 108). Because the prerequisite learning does not
take place, this causes those students to fall further and further behind (Pg.
140) creating an immense threat for special education services. Research indicates that 45% of homeless
students in Los Angeles are identified as needing special education, 22% in Chicago,
and from 7% to 16% nationwide (Pg. 140).
Homelessness is a horrifying and treacherous experience for
children. By looking at how their deprived
health and nutritional needs place harmful barriers on their development, one
can see why education can become a challenge.
The Lasting Emotional Damage that Creates
Educational Distractions
Because
homeless children are confronted with personal losses and unpleasant conditions
(Dill) which are typically unplanned, they may suffer from psychological and
lasting emotional damage. The
psychological barriers place children at a far greater risk for acute mental
health concerns that effect personal relationships and cause educational distractions. Murphy and Tobin note that out of all
homeless persons, children are more susceptible to mental health conditions
(Pg. 105), such as depression, high levels of stress and anxiety (Dill),
aggression, anti-social issues (DeMont), problems internalizing feelings, low
self-esteem, and other emotional impairments (Pg. 107).
Works Cited
“A
Critical Moment: Child and Youth Homelessness in Our Nation’s Schools.” NAEHCY. NAEHCY. July 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.
Andrews,
Rich. Telephone interview. Mar. 2013.
DeMont,
Diana. “Overcoming Education Disadvantage: Shelter Initiatives for Homeless
Children.” Undergraduate Review. 8.
26-32. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
Dill,
Vicky S. "Students Without Homes." Educational Leadership 68.3 (2010): 43-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Hendricks,
George, and William Barkley. "Necessary, But Not Sufficient: The
Mckinney-Vento Act and Academic Achievement in North Carolina." Children & Schools 34.3 (2012):
179-185. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
Jasmine
Knight, et al. "Answering The Call: Facilitating Responsive Services For
Students Experiencing Homelessness." Professional
School Counseling 14.3 (2011): 191-201. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Masten,
Ann, Janette, Herbers, Christopher, Desjardins, J. J., Cutuli, Christopher, McCormick, Julianna, Sapienza,
Jeffery, Long, Philip, David Zelazo. “Executive Function Skills and School
Success in Young Children Experiencing Homelessness.” Educational Research 2012 41: 375. Academic Search Complete. Web.
16 Mar. 2013.
Miller,
Peter M. "A Critical Analysis of the Research on Student
Homelessness." Review of Educational
Research 81.3 (2011): 308-337. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Murphy,
Joseph, and Kerri Tobin. Homelessness
Comes to School. Thousand Oaks: Corwin, 2011. Print.
Open
Doors. “Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.” United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
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