Today Research for Action (RFA) released our latest policy report in our Allegheny County Education Research (ACER) project.

This localized report builds on our February 2021 research on Students Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania: New Evidence of Under-Identification and Inequity from RFA’s statewide PACER series. In this new brief, we dig deeper into our statewide analysis to examine patterns of identification and enrollment of students experiencing homelessness within Allegheny County districts and charter schools.

We find that, on average, Allegheny County schools identify students experiencing homelessness relative to student poverty at below the national average. Rates of identification vary widely across Allegheny County school districts, with many identifying at less than half the national rate, while others exceeded the national rate. This variation provides an opportunity for school districts with lower rates of identification to turn to their higher-identifying neighbors to understand best practices and strategies.

The brief also examines how student homelessness rates in Allegheny County charter schools compare to school districts, mid-year changes in enrollment of students experiencing homelessness, and changes in the county’s student homelessness population over time.

2021 Research for Action | Website