New York City students in insecure housing situations continue to have alarmingly low school attendance rates, heightened by the pandemic. Youth advocates say city officials should direct federal relief dollars to better support these students.

Last October, students living in shelters had an overall attendance rate of about 79%, almost 11 percentage points lower than students with permanent housing.

Jennifer Pringle, project director at Advocates for Children of New York, said it is disrupting the lifeline education can be for young people.

"If you want to break the cycle of homelessness, we have to make sure that our young people right now who are experiencing homelessness get an education," Pringle contended. "Because students who don't have a high school diploma are four-and-a-half times more likely to experience homelessness as an adult."

The October numbers reflect a return to full-time, in-person instruction for New York City students. According to previous data, students in shelters had an attendance rate of 77%, the lowest of any student group, during the first six months of 2021, when schools were mostly remote.

The New York City Department of Education is receiving $24 million in American Rescue Plan funds specifically for youth homelessness. Pringle said more than 30 organizations and the City Council want to use the money to hire a total of 150 shelter-based community coordinators.

"When a family is placed in shelter, that person can immediately work with the family to figure out, 'Hey, do you need a shelter transfer closer to your child's school?' " Pringle explained. "Parents are put in a position of choosing between 'do I attend to my child's education, or do I attend to finding permanent housing?' "

The Education Department has already committed to hiring 50 coordinators to help families navigate the school system and address barriers to attendance, but Pringle said 50 will not be enough to serve the 28,000 students who spend time in the city's 200 shelters each year.

A new report found when high school students enroll in early college programs, it improves the chances they will go on to college after graduation.

The Massachusetts Early College Initiative links high school students, especially those who are low-income, with community college courses, in an effort to reduce achievement gaps.

Nancy Hoffman, senior adviser at Jobs for the Future (JFF) and the report's author, said experiencing college courses in high school can show students they can do the work if they have sufficient support. It is also a way to get a head start on college credits without worrying about finances, because early college courses are free.

"When you have both high school teachers and college instructors supporting students, they get double encouragement, "Hoffman pointed out. "And tutoring and intervention when needed, to complete their college courses successfully."

The report said 60% of early college students in 2021 identified as Black or Latino. And more than half came from low-income backgrounds. It also found 64% of Massachusetts students who had taken early college courses enrolled in higher-ed, compared with 38% of their peers.

Hoffman added JFF and other early college partners are aiming to get students graduating from high school with up to 30 credits completed.

"What we have learned over 20 some years of working on early college, is that motivation, support, encouragement and an early start, really prove that young people want to go to college," Hoffman explained. "They want the opportunity, and are willing to work very hard."

She noted the data is still out on college completion and earnings for students who took early college courses in high school. Since 2017, the Early College Joint Committee created by the Department of Education has designated more than 30 programs, serving 41 high schools, with 21 higher-education partners.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

The COVID public health emergency forced many Nebraska students to put their college careers on hold.

More than 300,000 Nebraskans have completed some college, but don't have credentials, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Mike Baumgartner, executive director of the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, said with the state's unemployment rate currently at less than 2%, students are prime candidates to take on critical unfilled jobs.

"And with the state trying to up its game in a lot of technical areas, and agricultural areas that require additional training, that's an important pool of adults for us to go out and meet those workforce needs of the state," Baumgartner pointed out.

Economists project at least 70% of jobs paying a living wage in Nebraska will require some form of postsecondary degree or credential.

In the last session, state lawmakers set a 70% attainment goal for Nebraskans ages 25 to 34. Baumgartner argued helping students re-enroll in school and cross the finish line will strengthen Nebraska's agriculture, construction, education, health care and other sectors.

Researchers found more than half of those who stopped out of college are age 35 and older.

Baumgartner stressed it is never too late to go back to school, and noted completing a degree or certificate program has significant long-term economic benefits.

"We have a plethora of statistics that show that people who have completed a credential will earn more over their lifetime, they are more likely to vote, they are more likely to have health care," Baumgartner reported. "If they don't like their current job, it's an opportunity to move into something completely new."

Cost remains the biggest barrier to completing a degree, and Baumgartner pointed to the state's gap assistance program to help financially strapped students get their first credential at community colleges, and the Nebraska Opportunity Grant, which is available to part-time adult students.

He added more can be done to remove basic barriers to completing degrees.

"Food pantries on college campuses are becoming a familiar staple," Baumgartner observed. "Lots of students will have child care issues, so it's important that colleges either have child care available or have a good partnership in the community."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Research is emerging about the secondary trauma school staff members face after helping students during the pandemic. As summer moves forward, school social workers in Minnesota say there are ways to seek a manageable environment when classes resume this fall.

New findings in the journal Psychology in the Schools noted teachers and support staff have had difficulty finding time for self-care as work demands pile up. It coincides with more students needing mental-health support.

Brooke Davis, a school social worker at Hopkins Public Schools, recommended colleagues collectively reflect on their jobs this summer, and express to administrators which duties should be prioritized.

"Honestly, that reflection, and teaming and collaborating, has brought me more comfort and peace than any hobby," Davis acknowledged.

School districts had hoped for more funding this spring to add staff in light of Minnesota's historic budget surplus. But talks fell apart as the session ended. And with leaders from both major political parties still at odds, a special session seems unlikely right now.

Davis, a member of the Minnesota School Social Workers Association, said for staff still feeling burnout, therapy is an option to consider.

"Not only for yourself, but also, it creates this parallel process where we are getting support from someone, and we are supporting other people," Davis explained. "And we can see how those two processes are happening at the same time."

She contended it allows staff to better serve the students they work with. Davis added the increasing demands in the last two years include responding to behavioral issues as students get re-acclimated to classroom settings.

Separately, a recent Surgeon General's report suggests school districts establish realistic workloads and student-to-staff ratios in addressing concerns about well-being.