Reaching All Families: Family, School, and Community Partnerships Amid Homelessness and High Mobility in an Urban District

Abstract

Schools often struggle to build partnerships with homeless and highly mobile (HHM) families. These families are not homogeneous; they live in and engage with schools from diverse residential contexts. Using Epstein’s theory and framework and drawing from 132 interviews with HHM parents, school personnel, and community stakeholders in an urban district, results suggest that (a) interviewees had divergent experiences with family, school, and community partnerships; (b) some school actors were better positioned to engage HHM families than others; and (c) the diverse residential context of HHM families molded partnership building in unique ways. Theoretical implications and recommendations for practice and policy are discussed.