Serving Students Who Are Homeless

Schools and districts are seeing unprecedented numbers of students and families living without residential stability. Although the McKinney-Vento Act has been around for over two decades, many district- and site-level practitioners have a difficult time interpreting and implementing the Act’s mandates within their local contexts. This book provides much-needed guidance to help educational leaders support students who are homeless and highly mobile students who face significant barriers related to access and academic success. The authors employ several different strategies to help translate complex state and federal policies into effective practices. They include policy analysis, examples of successful approaches, tools for training staff, youth experiences, and address the role of school districts in serving marginalized students. Serving Students Who Are Homeless can be used as a professional development tool at the local and district level, and as a textbook in higher education settings that prepare entry-level and advanced-credential administrators, counselors, school psychologists, and curriculum leaders. Book Features: Guidance for understanding and implementing the law and tools for training staff. Case studies that include the voices of students, families, and practitioners. Questions and activities to facilitate professional development discussions. “I have worked in this realm for more than a decade and, sadly, the numbers of homeless families and children continue to rise. The information and strategies identified within the pages of this book will prove to be an invaluable resource to the work of counselors, school personnel, teachers, administrators, and advocates for homeless students.” —Melissa Schoonmaker, Los Angeles County Office of Education “Homelessness brings an array of daunting challenges to students, families, and schools. As more and more communities are experiencing these challenges throughout the US, Dr. Hallett and Dr. Skrla have skillfully developed a critical new resource that can help those in most need. I admire their work!” —Peter Miller, University of Wisconsin–Madison

The goal of Title I, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (20 U.S.C. ʹ 6301 et seq) is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and to reach proficiency on state standards and assessments of academic achievement. Title I, Part A is designed to meet the educational needs of low-achieving children in schools with the highest levels of poverty by aligning high-quality assessments, systems of accountability, teacher preparation, curriculum, and instructional materials with challenging state academic standards. This brief explains how Title I, Part A of NCLB and Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (reauthorized under Title X, Part C of NCLB; hereafter referred to as the McKinney-Vento Act) intersect and offers strategies for effective collaboration. Related legislative excerpts are included.

This book is for educators who wish to serve students who temporarily share housing with other families, live in homeless shelters or motels, nd/or camp out in cars and other stopgap places.

Featuring vignettes of students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, this book offers readers research-based, practical guidance for creating and implementing a plan of action to address these issues within their local context. Topics include trauma-informed frameworks, policies affecting homelessness and housing insecurity, transitioning students to college, supporting college retention, collaborations and partnerships, and life after college. This practical resource can be used as a professional development tool for student affairs, academic affairs, health and wellness centers, and other campus-based support services. “Provides context, but it also offers tangible suggestions for how you can develop or expand your philosophical, practical, and political efforts to address the needs of students.” —From the Foreword by Timothy P. White, chancellor of The California State University “These skilled authors provide invaluable insights into homelessness and guidance for how we can respond. This is important work that should be shared throughout higher education!” —Peter Miller, University of Wisconsin–Madison “This is a must-read for higher education professionals who want to support students affected by issues of housing insecurity and homelessness.” —Robert D. Reason, Iowa State University “This book not only enlightens leaders but also helps campuses to develop meaningful action plans through local evaluation and planning.” —Adrianna Kezar, University of Southern California

Children and youth in homeless situations, particularly unaccompanied youth and survivors of domestic violence, are at a high risk for experiencing violence and victimization. Frequently, unaccompanied youth become homeless after leaving abusive or destructive home environments. In turn, their homelessness, which often involves "couch surfing" (staying temporarily with friends or relatives), or living on the streets, places them at risk of further victimization, including robbery and assault. Similarly, many survivors of domestic violence flee violent home environments only to find that their batterers continue to pursue them. Keeping their whereabouts secret is often a matter of life and death. By protecting confidential information, communicating with care and sensitivity, and building collaborations with community service providers and advocates, schools can play a pivotal role in protecting the safety of children and youth experiencing homelessness. It is important to remember that the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires the immediate enrollment of children and youth experiencing homelessness, even in the absence of records normally required for enrollment. School is the safest place to be for children who may be in danger. The checklist presented here can be used to help make your school district a safe place. (Contains 3 endnotes.).

This brief summarizes McKinney-Vento Act mandates for local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools. It includes additional explanation on two issues about which charter schools have frequently raised questions: transportation, specifically to and from the school of origin, and enrollment policies, which may create barriers for homeless students. The brief is divided into the following sections: (1) Requirements in the McKinney-Vento Act for all LEAs; (2) McKinney-Vento Act Requirements for Schools; (3) Transportation Requirements as They Apply to Charter Schools; (4) Enrollment Requirements as They Apply to Charter Schools; (5) Free Meals and Snacks for Homeless Students; (6) Coordination between State Homeless Education Programs and Charter Schools; and (7) Learning About the McKinney-Vento Act and its Implementation. Examples of states and charter schools that have implemented strategies for serving homeless children and youth are included. Related excerpts from the law and Non-regulatory Guidance conclude the brief.

"Homelessness is a perennial topic of concern at libraries. In fact, staff at public libraries interact with almost as many homeless individuals as staff at shelters do. In this book Dowd, executive director of a homeless shelter, spotlights best practices drawn from his own shelter's policies and training materials" --

The seminal work on homeless students and our responsibility to educate them Homelessness Comes to School provides substantial and far-reaching research that describes the plight of homeless children, the legal framework surrounding the issue, and ways to work together toward a solution. The text also outlines effective intervention programs and includes specific guidelines for teaching homeless students. Topics covered include: A history of homelessness, including its demographic patterns, causes, and impact on society The various programs schools have implemented to address the problem How schools, parents, and external community agencies can work together to educate homeless students