TY  - RPRT
TI  - “Does it fit in a box we can check off?” The interpretive work of identifying doubled-up homeless students
AU  - Hill, Kathryn
AU  - Harvey, Hope
AU  - Mirakhur, Zitsi
AU  - Flores, Michelle
AU  - Wu, Xinghua Toby
AU  - Trujillo, Paul
PY  - 2026
T3  - EdWorkingPaper
M1  - 26-1519
PB  - Annenberg Institute at Brown University
DO  - 10.26300/a58j-qg81
UR  - https://edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1519
AB  - Identifying doubled-up homeless students is crucial to securing their educational rights and understanding the extent of housing insecurity among school-aged children. Drawing on a survey and focus groups conducted with NYC district and school staff, we introduce interpretive work as a central but underexamined feature of the identification process. While the broad and flexible federal definition of “doubling-up” grants staff wide latitude in determining McKinney-Vento eligibility, interpreting which living arrangements qualify requires a deep understanding of the law and of families’ specific circumstances. It also necessitates establishing trust with families so that they feel comfortable disclosing private information. Ultimately, these labor- and knowledge-intensive interpretive processes introduce implementation challenges and place a heavy burden on staff and families.
ER  -