New data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Homeless Education finds that the number of homeless students in Florida schools has reached a record high. The nearly 70,000 homeless students identified in Florida schools in the report for the 2012-2013 school year represents a 10 percent increase over the previous year and outpaces the national average increase of eight percent.
Overall, the report identified more than one million homeless students in K-12 classrooms across the country. While these students are eligible for education assistance through the public school system, most are not recognized as homeless by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. We’ll explore local and federal efforts to identify and address the needs of homeless students. How does homelessness affect student academic performance and what can local communities do to better address the needs of these students?
GUESTS:
Peter Bohatch, Ph.D., Director of Student Services, Lee County School District
Angela Fisher, Executive Director, Collier County Hunger & Homeless Coalition
Roger Mercado, Director of Social Services and Education, Community Cooperative Ministries Incorporated
Ranice Monroe, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Student Services, Lee County School District
Bruce Wesley, President, First Focus Campaign for Children
