This blog was updated on July 25th, 2023.
Selecting the best case management system to track students experiencing homelessness can be challenging. For schools nationwide, understanding the backgrounds and living situations of the students they serve is vital to providing adequate support. Finding the right system to collect essential student data is not always straightforward.
Learn about the best option for Mckinney-Vento Data Management
The Student Information System (SIS) of many school districts can be inadequate because an SIS is only as accurate as the data that it houses. Inaccurate data, missing data, or data that an SIS doesn't store can create hurdles to support students' needs.
Not only does this impact the school's ability to stay compliant with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (M-V Act), it can hinder student achievement and stability.
Students experiencing homelessness show a marked decline in their academic success and graduation rates than their peers with stable living situations. According to Education Week, "only 29 percent of homeless students performed proficiently in reading and language arts, 8.5 percent fewer than other low-income students. Roughly 1 in 4 homeless students was proficient in math and science overall, compared to a third or more of housed low-income students."
While it is clearly in the best interest of everyone involved that schools track students experiencing homelessness, most school SISs don't include enough information about these at-risk students. For one, students experiencing homelessness are often reluctant to disclose their living situation for fear of embarrassment. These students keep their homelessness a secret, and educators are often hesitant to avoid being intrusive.
Additionally, the parents of students experiencing homelessness may have difficulty properly communicating with schools. Some are not proficient in English or may not have access to online forms. This makes it difficult to track student homelessness, as the information doesn't make it into the records.
In many schools, tracking students experiencing homelessness is handled by a single staff member assigned the role of the District Homeless Liaison. Further compounding the issue is that this staff member is often adding these duties to their current role. A teacher or administrator already fully occupied with teaching or running other programs must single-handedly keep track of and attempt to provide appropriate services to students experiencing homelessness.
With so many impediments to tracking student homelessness, it's little wonder schools struggle to maintain accurate records. Luckily, TransACT has developed a number of tools to combat these issues.
With the Student SupportTracker (SST), schools and districts have a data management system that helps homeless liaisons identify gaps in health and education services. With this software, liaisons are relieved of having to research ESSA and M-V Act requirements independently and have a system to track information that their SIS system doesn't.
Additionally, SST automatic emails go out to all stakeholders when a student's homeless status is confirmed. This helps ensure faster and more accurate tracking of students experiencing homelessness.
By ensuring faculty have accurate information and that the parents of youth experiencing homelessness can better communicate, SST helps schools properly track students once they are identified as experiencing homelessness to ensure they have access to the resources they need. Find out how Student SupportTracker can help your district by scheduling a demonstration.