Children who have been homeless do not do as well in school as kids who are simply poor. And, according to a new study, they do not "catch up."
A study published this week in the journal Child Development analyzed test results for nearly 27,000 Minneapolis public school students starting in third grade through their eighth-grade year. As expected, students who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch tested lower in math and reading than middle-class children. About 14 percent of Minneapolis public school students were also identified as homeless or "highly mobile." They performed least well of all and did not catch up to their peers over the six years.
"These homeless and highly mobile children have chronically lower achievement," said University of Minnesota professor Ann Masten, who co-authored the study with J.J. Cutuli, a former U of M doctoral student.
Researchers also found that homeless students' scores showed the least improvement just after the period they were homeless. At the same time, there is a lot of variation among homeless children. Nearly half scored within the average academic range.