A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Mckinney-Vento Act Implementation with a Sample from an Entire School District

Purpose: This study examines the factorial validity and reliability of the McKinney-Vento Act Implementation Scale (MVAIS). The MVAIS is a 26-item scale that measures perceptions of implementation, through three subconstructs (preparation, accessibility, and collaboration) in a practitioner’s service area. The MVAIS has shown initial reliability and validity with a sample of school social workers, but for actual and continued use in school districts, validation studies are needed using samples comprised from other professions and personnel at a school district. Thus, this study aims to examine whether a three factor structure of implementation is still appropriate for a sample of other school-based professionals including teachers, administrators, janitors, and lunch staff.

Methods: A purposive sample of 318 school district employees was obtained to examine the factor structure and reliability of the MVAIS. Much of the sample self-identified as teachers (50.3%) followed by health personnel and social service support (13.9%); those not reporting (10.4%); staff (9.2%); administrators (8.5%); and instructional support staff (7.6%). Many worked in elementary schools (43.7%), followed by high schools (27.8%), middle schools (19%) or multiple school levels (7%).

Confirmatory factor analysis was used because of the a priori factor structure of the MVAIS. Several tests of model fit including CFI, TLI, RMSEA, SRMR, and X²/df ratio were used to assess the model. Chronbach’s alpha was calculated for reliability.

Results: The alpha coefficients for each construct, implementation (.947), preparation (.907), accessibility (.889), and collaboration (.941), indicate high levels of item association between the items. All tests for model fit met their respective cut score criterion which indicates that the proposed model was statistically appropriate (CFI=.96; TLI=.95; RMSEA=.09; SRMR=.084; and X²/df=3.475). A three-factor structure of the MVAIS as perceived by an entire school district still explains implementation.

Implications: The purpose of this study is to examine the factor structure and reliability of the MVAIS with a sample of an entire school district. This study provides supporting evidence for the three-factor structure of the MVAIS. Preparation, accessibility, and collaboration, as presented in the MVAIS, are still perceived as major factors in facilitating homeless policy in schools. Future study could examine the factor structure to focus on how implementation is perceived in a specific profession such as teaching or administration. Scale utility is still an important area for future study. As it stands now, higher scores of the MVAIS indicate higher levels of implementation or the three constructs, but they have yet to be tied to actual outcomes. Using the MVAIS to examine how implementation of the policy has addressed a specific outcome, such as absences or grades, is an area of future study. The McKinney-Vento Act is the premier policy addressing homelessness in our schools and future study must be done to examine the efficacy of its provisions.