ABSTRACT
Homeless children and youth are arguably the most at risk for failure, if not outrightomission from school, of any identiable student population (Stronge 1993b).1 On a daily basis, these students often face economic deprivation, family loss or separation, insecurity, social and emotional instability, and, in general, upheaval in their lives (Bassuk and Rosenberg 1988; Nuñez 1994; Rafferty 1995; Rafferty and Rollins 1989; Quint 1994; Shane 1996; Stronge 1992). “Against this backdrop, efforts to make education accessible and meaningful for them and their families is like swimming upstream against a swift current. These students deserve the opportunity to attend and succeed in school-an opportunity paramount to achieving success in life and thus breaking the hold of poverty and deprivation on their lives” (Stronge 1997: 14). If an opportunity to succeed is to be achieved, homeless students and their families need the concerted efforts of the educational community.
