The McKinney-Vento Act Implementation Scale: A second validation study

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (MVA) is the major federal policy that addresses homelessness. It upholds the right to equal education for homeless children by reducing barriers to school enrollment. Despite its importance, empirical studies examining perceived MVA implementation are scant, with only one instrument, the McKinney-Vento Act Implementation Scale (MVAIS), found to be a valid and reliable measure. The initial MVAIS validation study found that a three-factor structure of perceived preparation, accessibility, and collaboration addressed implementation perceptions with high reliability. This study aims to confirm the factor structure proposed in the initial study and examine the reliability of the MVA and its subscales. A sample of school social workers (N = 228) was obtained to revalidate the MVAIS. The findings from this study provide further evidence of a valid and reliable three-factor structure for the MVAIS. Future implications for this instrument and its utility for knowledge of homelessness are discussed.