The Impact Of Homelessness And Remaining In School Of Origin On The Academic Achievement Of Fourth Through Eighth Grade Students In Brevard County Public Schools

This study examined the impact of homelessness and the ability of homeless students to remain in their school of origin on the academic achievement of fourth through eighth grade students in Brevard County, Florida. To determine effects of homelessness, homeless students were compared to non-homeless students who qualified for free lunch utilizing developmental scale scores and learning gains from 2011 FCAT Reading and Mathematics. To determine effects of remaining in school of origin, homeless students who changed schools were compared to homeless students who did not change schools utilizing the same assessment data. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests of association were used with .05 significance levels. Findings showed that homeless and non-homeless students had no significant differences in reading scores, and homeless students had significantly higher mathematics scores. However, significantly fewer homeless students made an annual learning gain in reading and math learning gains were statistically equal. Remaining in school of origin also had no significant impact on reading and math developmental scale scores, but a significantly lower percentage of homeless students who changed schools made annual learning gains in reading and mathematics. These results led the researcher to develop a theory called the Weighted Saddle Effect, caused by homeless mobility, to describe the difficulty homeless students had in making annual learning gains commensurate with their developmental scale scores. Recommendations for policy included school districts ensuring transportation to school of origin was available for all homeless students as mandated by the McKinney-Vento Ac