An implementation fidelity evaluation of the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act in the state of Missouri

Abstract

Homelessness continues to be a growing reality for students within the K-12 public school system. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (MVA) was in response to this growing reality, focused on ensuring students and families were better supported by public schools when they experienced homelessness. While research does exist on why MVA is needed, the impact it can have, how districts have failed to appropriately comply, and how states have created additional legislation, there is a gap in research pertaining to the implementation of MVA within the state of Missouri. Additionally, there is no state-specific legislation in addition to MVA. As a result, the researcher desired to explore if MVA was being implemented, as designed, within the state of Missouri. Furthermore, the researcher desired to equip district administrators with a better understanding of implementation and tools to increase their implementation of MVA, better supporting students and their families experiencing homelessness. The findings connected to both research questions explored recognize that compliance may not be the primary concern, but that there are opportunities to better meet the needs of students identified as homeless. As a result, strategies have been recommended to ensure districts are more focused on the needs of their homeless population. There are abundant opportunities to continue this important research, but this research serves as a foundation for exploring homelessness within Missouri. Specifically, there is an opportunity to research if the perceptions and realities align with the perceptions of homeless liaisons. As well, there is an opportunity to conduct research that involves a larger population of homeless liaisons, plus their supervisors. There is also an opportunity to research and evaluate how the state is implementing, supervising, and evaluating the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act within Missouri.