The unique impact of out-of-home placement and the mediating effects of child maltreatment and homelessness on early school success

Children who had experienced homelessness had lower academic achievement even when other salient social risk factors were accounted for.

“Children who had experienced homelessness had lower levels of academic achievement, even while accounting for other salient social risk factors.”

Homelessness predicted lower literacy and science achievement among 11,835 second-grade students in a large urban district, and this finding persisted after controlling for gender, ethnicity, out-of-home placement, child maltreatment, and birth-related risk.

“Fantuzzo and Perlman (2007) found that homelessness predicted lower levels of literacy and science achievement among 11,835 students from a 2nd grade cohort in a large, urban school district. This finding persisted when controlling for gender, ethnicity, out of home placement, child maltreatment, and any birth-related risk (inadequate prenatal care, premature birth, or low birth weight).”

Almost 75% of students were in one of three low-income groups, and 13.8% were HHM at some point across the six years.

“Consistent with other large urban districts (Fantuzzo & Perlman, 2007), almost 75% of the students were in one of the three low-income groups, and 13.8% were HHM at some point across the 6 years considered in this analysis.”

The results corroborate past findings of lower academic achievement for HHM students, both in single grades or time points and longitudinally as a marker of chronic risk.

“These results corroborate past findings showing lower levels of academic achievement for HHM students, either in a single grade or at a single point in time (Adam & Chase-Lansdale, 2002; Buckner, 2008; Fantuzzo & Perlman, 2007; Rubin, et al., 1996) or when considered longitudinally as a marker of chronic risk (Obradović, et al., 2009).”