Predictors of Secondary Completion Among Homeless Youth in Three U.S. Cities and the Potential Application of National Policies.

Purpose: Secondary education completion rates (i.e., high school diploma or General Education Development [GED]) among homeless youth (HY) are low in comparison with their housed peers. Method: Secondary data with a sample of 429 HY was used from a 3-city study using quantitative retrospective interviews with a purposive sample of601 HY collected from 2010 to 2011 in social service organizations across three U.S. cities (Denver, CO, Results: Secondary completion was positively associated with identifying as female, formal employment, a sense of equanimity, and experiences of childhood emotional abuse. In contrast, secondary completion was negatively associated with a history of incarceration as well as experiences of childhood physical neglect and emotional neglect. Discussion: Recommendations are made for strengthening educational institutions' capacity to provide the comprehensive support services for HY to minimize risk factors and enhance protective factors. Similarly, the authors highlight how cross-sector collaboration, such as those approaches supported through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act, can be leveraged to minimize significant risk factors and promote resilience factors associated with secondary completion.