Street Schools – An Out-of-School Place to Learn (not Only) for Homeless Young People

Abstract

The school dropout rate of homeless youth exceeds the average dropout rate in Germany by the factor five. The mainly negative school experiences of homeless youth have led to an aversion to the regular school system. Various street schools have been founded with the goal of enabling these young people to obtain school diplomas. Their good success rates show that mainstream schools and researchers can benefit from their expertise and the educational approaches of these out-of-school places. By interviewing teachers and those responsible for street schools, we were able to identify factors promoting learning and participation of homeless youth in street schools.