The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides support in the form of grant funding to school districts in Pennsylvania that have a significant homeless student population through the Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. The School District of Philadelphia’s ECYEH office established three priorities for the implementation of this grant:

• Improving and maintaining the computerized tracking of homeless students;
• Ensuring continued school enrollment for homeless students as they await placement in permanent housing; and
• Increasing outreach to homeless and displaced teenagers and families who are living in doubled-up arrangements.

This evaluation report assessed ECYEH program activities for the 2013-14 school year based on the office’s three priorities.

Important findings include:

• A total of 4,314 youth were identified as homeless in Philadelphia in 2013-2014.
• Of school-aged youths identified as homeless, 74% received at least one service from the ECYEH office.
• Compared to all District students, homeless students in Philadelphia attend school less often, are tardy more often, and are less likely to be classified as Advanced or Proficient on standardized math and reading standardized assessments.

Use the button to download the 39-page report.