NEW YORK, NY September 14, 2006 —Homeless advocates say that 20,000 school-age children in the city are homeless. A new report from the group Advocates for Children of New York say the Department of Education undercounts this population, and that city policies contribute to high absenteeism and dropout rates.

REPORTER: The report draws upon city data, and shows that the Department of Education counts far fewer homeless children than the Department of Homeless Services, and that this undercount prevents the city from getting the federal funding it needs to help homeless children. Elisa Hyman of Advocates for Children says the DOE leaves out thousands of children because it only counts the number of children in family shelters.

HYMAN: However, the Department of Ed is not counting all the students who are in domestic violence shelters, they're not counting kids who are runaways in homeless shelters, and they're not counting families who are doubled up.

REPORTER: The report also claims many students drop out because they're shuttled between schools.The Department of Education says it has recently worked to reduce school transfers and increase counseling and after-school programs for homeless students. And that it plans to establish the number of homeless children who live outside of family shelters.