Linking homelessness in secondary school to postsecondary and early labor market outcomes in Maryland using a continuum of risk framework

Abstract

Homeless and low-income students share multiple overlapping risk experiences; however, some studies report little to no observed differences in outcomes between these students. From the cumulative risk perspective, homelessness is perched at the extreme edge of economic insecurity, suggesting that homeless students encounter additional hardships beyond poverty experiences alone. Using a continuum of risk framework, this study leveraged statewide administrative data from a 6th grade cohort of Maryland public school students (N = 52,610) to investigate the association between homelessness and educational and early labor market outcomes, above and beyond the associations linked to poverty. Findings provide support for the continuum of risk in relation to educational outcomes; however, no significant differences were observed in early labor market outcomes, although racial differences were detected. This study underscores the importance of targeted interventions in promoting positive, long-term outcomes, particularly for students who were homeless in adolescence.

Keywords:

• homelessness
• McKinney-Vento
• college enrollment
• disadvantage
• labor market outcomes

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center. We are grateful for the assistance provided by the MLDS Center. We thank Alison Preston for completing literature reviews on this topic. Prior versions of this manuscript were published by the MLDS Center and findings were presented to multiple local and statewide stakeholder audiences. We appreciate the feedback received from the MLDS Center and its stakeholder partners. Additionally, we thank the panelists and attendees at multiple academic conferences and the anonymous reviewers for helpful feedback on this manuscript. All opinions are the authors’ and do not represent the opinion of the MLDS Center or its partner agencies.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under contract for this study. Access to the restricted use data is available with permission from the MLDS Center.

Notes

1 We conducted a sensitivity analysis, running the same models including only students who had experienced disadvantage or homelessness. Results remained substantively the same.