According to the most recent data released by the California Department of Education, schools are getting better at identifying their homeless students, but more than 2,700 of the state's nearly 10,500 schools still report zero. That means homeless students in those districts who have not been officially identified are not receiving specialized assistance, as required by state and federal law.
School districts appear to be getting better at identifying and reporting homelessness in their student bodies, but experts say the problem is still significantly underreported. In 2014-15, 3,868 schools or 37 percent reported zero homeless children, and in 2015-16, 3,110 schools or 30 percent reported zero.
"Homeless kids can't get help if you don't know they're there,"Β said William Tierney, education professor at University of Southern California who's studied homeless youth in California. "This is significant not just on a social, human level, but on an economic level. The likelihood of a homeless youth becoming a homeless adult is enormous...This is a big deal, and we have to take this seriously."Β
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