We’re excited to present the latest insights from our second annual Nationwide McKinney-Vento Study. The inaugural survey was the first of its kind dedicated to identifying key information about how McKinney-Vento liaisons nationwide and how they serve students and families in need. The study report provided many insights, including how school districts nationwide lack fundamental tools such as student case management software.
Here are just a few initial insights from this year's study.
New Study/New Insights
While many of the questions asked of respondents remained the same as last year, enabling us to begin tracking trends, we also added questions related to the drawdown of the last remaining stimulus funds from the American Rescue Plan and posed questions related to the best practices being employed for identifying eligible students. This year’s full report will be published shortly.
Is the number of students identified as homeless still increasing?
One of the key takeaways from last year’s report was that for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, more students were identified as McKinney-Vento eligible. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the number of students identified as McKinney-Vento increased year-over-year in the report. This correlates with data reported to states and the Federal Government.
This year, we again saw that the majority of liaisons experienced an increase in the number of students identified as McKinney-Vento eligible, although the increase was more modest than last year. Overall, 51% of respondents said there was an increase in the number of students identified.
Which states reported more McKinney-Vento students?
Of the 19 states with more than 15 survey respondents, nearly two-thirds reported an increase in the number of students versus a decrease.
The highest percentage of respondents reporting an increase was in the State of Washington, where 74% of respondents reported an increase. In the states of WA, FL, NY, CA, IL, and IN, 70% or more of their respondents reported an increase in the number of students identified as McKinney-Vento eligible.
WI, MO, and TX responses were evenly mixed, with an equal number of respondents indicating that the number of students had increased vs. decreased. More respondents in NJ, GA, OH, and IA reported a decrease in the number of students identified. Respondents from the State of Iowa reported the lowest increase in the number of students identified (37%), closely followed by Ohio (38%) and Georgia (41%).
Watch for more study results. If you’d like to learn more about how you and your district can benefit from TransAct's Student SupportTracker, please contact us.
Click here to download a copy of the entire 2023 National McKinney-Vento Study report.
