Recent ucla_cts_highlymobileyouth items

Highly Mobile Youth: How State Policy and Local Implementation Can Work Together to Support Youth

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Highly Mobile Youth: How State Policy and Local Implementation Can Work Together to Support Youth

1.37 Million and Rising: Understanding the National 25% Spike in Student Homelessness

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What do we know about the nearly 1.4 million students experiencing homelessness in the U.S.? Our latest brief, “1.37 Million and Rising: Understanding the National 25% Spike in Student Homelessness” explores national patterns for housing insecure youth across the U.S. Students without stable housing, one of several highly mobile student populations, are more likely to miss school, face disciplinary actions, and fall behind academically. Yet many remain invisible in national education data.

This brief builds upon our research on students experiencing homelessness in California, the epicenter of the student homelessness crisis, and highly mobile youth—including an overview of...

Advancing Educational Stability, Continuity, and Success: A Policy Agenda for Highly Mobile Youth in the U.S.

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Highly mobile youth (HMY) include approximately 1.9 million school-age students in the U.S., a broad category for students experiencing homelessness (1.2 million), the foster care system (391,000), migrant youth (274,000) and young people who have been detained in the juvenile legal system (25,000).

This policy brief in collaboration with WestEd builds on our initial overview of HMY by offering actionable strategies for federal and state policymakers. We focus on the unique needs of HMY as they face heightened challenges after the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political shifts in 2025.

Our systems are not designed to meet the complex realities of HMY. The brief offers a policy agenda to change that. We hope this work supports efforts to build more equitable, responsive systems that center the well-being and opportunity...

Often Overlooked but Not Unseen: An Overview of Highly Mobile Youth in the U.S.

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There were nearly 2 million highly mobile youth (HMY) in the United States in the 2021-22 school year.

These youth—including those experiencing homelessness, in foster care, migratory students, and those involved in the juvenile legal system—face compounded challenges that disrupt their education, health, and future opportunities.This brief uncovers the urgent needs of these underserved populations, highlighting the systemic barriers they encounter, from poverty and language barriers to neighborhood violence and childhood trauma. The research underscores the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown youth and calls for targeted interventions to provide the support they deserve.

Learn more on the CTS website.