Jose is 20 years old, and is living in a
transitional living program (TLP). He has been out of school for one
year, and before getting into his program, was homeless for 2-3 months.
He has earned 41 credits-enough to graduate with a HS diploma. However,
he has failed the Regents, which are necessary to earn a Regents
Diploma.
Jose has to work in order to retain his
spot in his TLP, and needs his HS diploma to accomplish his educational
and vocational goals. He would like to take a Regents Preparatory class,
but can only attend if he is enrolled in school. He feels embarrassed by
having to return to classes he has already passed, and has trouble
maintaining his enrollment status given his work schedule.
He is considering giving up and accepting
an IEP special education diploma which does not make him eligible for a
4-year college.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
The educational system is generally set up to work for youth who have a
relatively stable home environment-one which provides food, clothing,
and shelter. Unfortunately, the current educational system has great
difficulty meeting the needs of a young person whose energy and
attention are focused on attaining basic survival necessities and whose
educational history is interrupted because of homelessness.
CURRENT STATE:
Many homeless youth have a history of school failure, function at or
below 5th grade reading levels, and may have come from the Special
Education system. When a youth is living without parental care or
without a stable address, it is often difficult for them to access their
records, or enroll themselves in school. For those youth who hope to
re-enter school, low literacy, poor self-esteem and few credits are
significant barriers to success. If a young person has been out of a
learning environment for a long time, they often test very poorly on
placement exams, and end up inappropriately placed in Special Education
classes. They may need individualized attention and support to help them
adjust to a return to school. Unfortunately, these Youth who have
struggled in traditional educational systems, have limited options
available to them when they try to return. Youth between the ages of
21-24 who desire to attain their diploma face limited slots in very few
programs.
General Equivalency
Diploma (GED) programs are more widespread and accessible to homeless
youth than a traditional classroom. For many, the GED is a wonderful way
to reenter education, and is accepted by most 2-year and 4-year
colleges. For others, basic literacy is needed before attempting the GED
preparation. Unfortunately, there are far fewer literacy classes
available than can meet the needs of homeless youth.
There are two additional
factors which often complicate access and perseverance in achieving
educational success for homeless youth: identification and
transportation. Homeless youth often have no form of legitimate
identification and because of obviously limited financial resources do
not have access to public transportation. A student enrolled in a Board
of Education class is eligible for a Metrocard issued by the school for
transportation, but only through age 21. It has been reported that older
youth who have a school-issued ID card sometimes have difficulty with
police officers who believe the youth may have stolen the card from a
younger student. Without sufficient state-issued ID they can be arrested
even if it is later proven that they legitimately used resources to
attend school.
EXISTING SERVICES
There are some good options currently available for GED-seeking youth.
Some programs which serve homeless youth have on-site Board of Education
schools. These small programs are specifically designed to work with
youth who have struggled in previous educational settings. They are
often located in larger youth-serving agencies and/or have support
services such as social workers or case managers attached to them. The
addition of extra support services is often crucial to the success or
failure of these youth. School personnel outside these programs may not
understand the specific stressors faced by homeless youth, and the adult
advocates available in these specialized programs can help negotiate the
often complicated and bureaucratic systems homeless youth are struggling
with. Thankfully, there are few programs that specifically address the
needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth at
both the GED and diploma level.
SERVICE GAPS
As stated above, youth who desire a high school diploma and have been
out of school for some time have few options. Alternative Schools are
not often designed to handle the complex issues that a homeless youth
presents. There are few literacy programs that are geared specifically
to youth. Most programs target older adults, and do not meet the
developmental, environmental and emotional needs of younger people.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL
SERVICES
-
Increased literacy programs designed
specifically for adolescents and older youth.
-
Offer Regents preparatory classes at night
for those who need it.
-
Provide increased support staff at
alternative schools.
-
Expand the number of programs specifically
designed to address the specialized needs of homeless youth.
