Forging New Pathways - Mobilizing Youth as Agents of Change in California’s Homeless Education Policy

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

White paper presenting a case for youth-led action research to improve McKinney-Vento homeless education implementation in California. Using Y-PLAN work at Oakland High School, the report analyzes system-wide gaps in funding, local coordination, and student engagement, then shows how more than 100 students developed policy solutions. Proposed actions focus on basic needs, career development and academic programming supports, and financial literacy, arguing for leveraging major community schools and career-pathway investments to mobilize youth amid a worsening homelessness crisis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Background & Challenges

Youth-led Solutions

Case Study: Oakland High School

Y-PLAN (2020-2022)

Immediate Next Steps

Appendix

Forging New Pathways: Mobilizing Youth as Agents of Change in California’s Homeless Education Policy Deborah L. McKoy, PhD Joanne Lin-Hening, MPA Executive Summary Through the work of Y-PLAN (Youth-Plan, Learn, Act, Now) youth-led action research, the UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools (CC+S) has focused its research on youth experiencing homelessness in California public schools. This research analyzed the McKinney-Vento Act from system-wide implementation perspectives, as well as direct, lived experiences of young people, highlighting three core challenges: (1) Insufficient funding at both the state and federal levels, leading to inadequate implementation, under-identification, and insufficient services for unhoused students. (2) Poorly coordinated systems at local or regional levels to align policies and resources; and (3) Lack of engagement of one of the greatest stakeholders in this policy area: the students themselves This white paper presents a case study of Y-PLAN work at Oakland High School that engaged students within the Law and Social Justice Career Pathway directly in the policy-making process to improve the district program for unhoused students. More than 100 students researched and proposed actionable policy solutions to support unhoused peers, which centered on basic needs and career development centers, academic programming assistance, and financial literacy and independence. This white paper makes the case for local educational agencies (LEAs) to harness the state’s $3 billion investment in community schools and other significant educational investments in career pathways to mobilize youth as agents of change and improve McKinney-Vento implementation in the midst of a growing student homelessness crisis. Y-PLAN at Conference in Austin, Texas. 2022. Mobilizing Youth as Agents of Change in California’s Homelss Education Policy 2 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary II. Background & Challenges III. Youth-led Solutions IV. Case Study: Oakland High School Y-PLAN (2020-2022) Step One: Start Up Step Two: Making Sense of the City Step Three: Into Action Step Four: Going Public Step Five: Looking Forward and Back V. Immediate Next Steps VI. Appendix 2 5 7 9 20 21 II. Background & Challenges Student homelessness is a growing crisis in California. During the 2019-2020 school year, more than 244,000 students were identified as homeless throughout the state – a 48% increase over the previous decade (California Department of Education, 2022a; U.S. Department of Education, 2018; Bishop et al. 2020). Recent challenges of distance learning in the COVID 19 Pandemic make it harder for already under-resourced schools to identify unhoused students, let alone provide the services guaranteed to them under federal McKinney-Vento legislation. Despite record levels of housing insecurity, 300,000 fewer students were officially enrolled in McKinney-Vento programming nationwide in the 2020-2021 school year (Burns et al 2021).“It is likely this decrease reflects challenges that districts have had identifying and engaging these students, rather than an actual decline in homelessness”(Burns et al pg V) . Rachael Allamby and her son, Naseem, 10, spend nearly two hours getting to his Oakland elementary school, much of it on BART. The fares cost her nearly $400 a month. Credit Lee Romney; KALW Public Media. Published September 13, 2017. Students experiencing homelessness have higher chronic absenteeism and suspension rates than their peers and are significantly less likely to graduate (California Department of Education, 2022a) . In addition to being more likely to be English Language Learners and eligible for special education services, 7% of African American students, 6% of Native American or Alaskan students, and 6% of Pacific Islanders students in California were identified as unhoused in 2018-19 (Burns et alV) . Ina comprehensive survey of unhoused youth, the Califo

FAQs

What key challenges does the report identify in California’s homeless education policy implementation?

The report highlights insufficient state and federal funding, poorly coordinated local or regional systems, and limited engagement of students as stakeholders in policy-making.

How does Y-PLAN use youth-led action research in the study?

Through Y-PLAN youth-led action research, UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools examines both system-wide implementation perspectives and young people’s lived experiences to inform actionable policy proposals.

What solutions did students propose in the Oakland High School case study?

Students proposed policy solutions centered on basic needs and career development, academic programming assistance, and financial literacy and independence for unhoused peers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James