Getting the story: How an AP reporter chronicled a sensitive story about school and eviction

Families caught between housing instability and education face impossible choices as a veteran education reporter recently discovered while following the journey of an Atlanta mother of three.

For years, teachers have lamented that some of their students’ most pressing challenges—particularly poverty and housing insecurity—lie beyond schools’ capacity to address. These concerns are well-founded, according to mounting evidence linking housing instability to educational disruption.

Research consistently shows that children facing possible eviction often end up transferring to schools with fewer resources, higher poverty rates, and lower academic performance. These students frequently experience increased absenteeism and, if they do transfer, face higher suspension rates.

“I’ve witnessed this connection firsthand in my reporting,” says Bianca Vázquez Toness, who covers education and children’s wellbeing for The Associated Press. “When I interviewed students who had missed months of school, many traced their extended absences back to a housing disruption—losing their home, moving in with relatives, and then struggling to re-engage with education.”

To better understand this intersection between housing and education, Toness connected with Sechita McNair, a single mother of three boys fighting to return to Atlanta after an eviction. McNair’s primary goal: keeping her children in their original schools despite mounting obstacles.

“McNair was incredibly forthcoming about her experiences,” Toness explains. “As a film industry veteran, she immediately understood my need for detailed documentation of her journey—from the exact circumstances of receiving an eviction notice to her strategies for advocating for her children’s educational stability.”

Over several months, Toness traveled to Atlanta three times to document McNair’s situation, maintaining regular contact between visits. Their conversations often occurred during McNair’s school drop-offs or while she completed food delivery orders for supplemental income.

“What emerged was a portrait of extraordinary resilience—a single mother swimming upstream while supporting three children,” Toness reflects. “The most heartbreaking aspect is that McNair is doing exactly what education researchers would recommend: prioritizing school stability for her children. Yet despite her best efforts, the challenges remain overwhelming.”

McNair’s struggle illuminates the broader impact of Atlanta’s rapid gentrification, which has displaced numerous families from neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations. As property values rise and affordable housing diminishes, families like McNair’s face impossible choices between financial survival and educational stability.

This housing-education connection represents a growing crisis in metropolitan areas nationwide. When families are forced to relocate due to eviction or unaffordable housing, children often suffer cascading consequences—new schools, broken peer relationships, and disrupted learning—that can derail academic progress for years.

Education experts increasingly advocate for cross-sector solutions that address both housing stability and educational access. Some school districts have begun partnering with housing agencies and nonprofits to provide emergency rental assistance, legal support during eviction proceedings, and transportation options for students forced to move outside their school boundaries.

“The complexity of McNair’s situation reflects the interwoven nature of these challenges,” Toness notes. “Her story demonstrates how housing instability creates ripple effects throughout a family’s life, particularly affecting children’s educational opportunities.”

Despite the obstacles, McNair maintains remarkable optimism and determination. Her belief that persistence will eventually yield results drives her daily efforts to secure stable housing while supporting her children’s education—a juggling act familiar to countless American families caught in similar circumstances.

Toness’s reporting highlights how policies addressing either housing or education in isolation often fail families navigating both systems simultaneously. The intersection demands more integrated approaches that recognize how fundamental housing stability is to educational success.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations, though AP maintains full editorial control over content.