The Number of Homeless Children in the United States of America - Research Paper Example

When homelessness was studied in connection with children’s academic achievement, some studies found dismal results. Rafferty, Shinn, and Weitzman (2004) compared and contrasted the school experiences and academic achievement of 46 homeless adolescents and 87 permanently housed adolescents whose families accessed public assistance. Findings showed that both groups of students consistently scored below the national average for reading and mathematics achievement. Furthermore, homelessness was correlated with negative short-term changes in academic scores (Rafferty et al., 2004, p. 190).

The United States Department of Education has determined that constant school mobility is connected to poor school success for homeless children. Homelessness, because of school mobility and the often accompanying stress of losing belongings, community, and friends tends to have a deleterious impact on homeless children's health, mental health, and educational outcomes (Rafferty et al., 2004, p. 180).Nevertheless, many scholars are optimistic that not all homeless children fare poorly in school because of the protective factors of parenting style and supportive housing services.

Herbers et al. (2011) examined the direct and indirect outcomes of parenting on the academic functioning of 58 young homeless children. They discovered that quality parenting could improve the academic achievement of these children compared to low-quality parenting, despite the existence of similar high-risk factors. Hong and Piescher (2012) studied the effects of family supportive housing services on 183 children's well-being and academic functioning. They learned that supportive housing services were related to children’s school mobility, school attendance, and math achievement.

Further examination of the existing research identified a gap in exploring the factors that impact the academic success of homeless children, which will guide this paper’s research question and objectives (Hong & Piescher, 2012, p.98; Rafferty et al., 2004, p.195). This study seeks to determine whether parenting quality, school quality, and supportive housing can improve homeless children’s academic success.