10.18.2021 | NY Daily News | New York City students living in homeless shelters missed nearly one in every four days of school on average last winter and spring as technology, transportation and logistical challenges piled up during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report found. 

“These alarmingly low attendance rates make clear that the Department of Education’s current shelter-based support system is not sufficient,” said Jennifer Pringle, the director of Advocates for Children’s Learners in Temporary Housing project.

Attendance rates for the tens of thousands of kids living in shelters hovered between 75% and 80% from January to June of last year — staying at least 10 percentage points lower than the attendance rates for students living in permanent housing every month, according to an analysis of city Department of Education data by the nonprofit Advocates for Children. 

During the first couple weeks of this school year with full-time, in-person classes, students in shelters reported 73% attendance, compared to a citywide average in the mid-80% range, advocates said.  Read article