DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 369 867 UD 029 857

TITLE Serving Homeless Children: The Responsibilities ofEducators.

INSTITUTION Policy Studies Associates, Inc., Washington, DC.SPONS AGENCY Npartment of Education, Washington, DC.REPORT NO ED/OESE-92-40PUB DATE Sep 92CONTRACT LC89089001NOTE 43p.

PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; *Access to Education; Agency

Cooperation; *Children; Cooperation; Coordination;Educationally Disadvantaged; Elementary SecondaryEducation; Guides; *Homeless People; Low IncomeGroups; Needs; Poverty; School Personnel; SchoolResponsibility; *Services; *Teacher Responsibility

IDENTIFIERS *Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act 1987

ABSTRACTThis booklet is intended to help educators and school

personnel address the serious national problem of homelessness amongchildren. It is very likely that there are homeless children in anygiven school jurisdiction. Some of the educational needs of thesechildren are outlined, and suggestions are given for actions thatpeople within state or local agencies, schools, and shelters mighttake to ensure an appropriate education for them. Information wasobtained through telephone interviews with homeless project staff,visits to state and local schools and programs, and literaturereviews. Specific problems that are addressed are (1) ensuring accessto schools, (2) meeting the personal needs of homeless children, (3)

providing academic support systems, and (4) colJaborating with otheragencies to provide services to the homeless population. Descriptionsof school district and local school efforts provide examples of. waysschools can work toward the requirements of the McKinney HomelessAssistance Act. Additional support services are listed, and somespecific suggestions are given for administrators, secretaries,teachers, counselors, other school personnel, shelter providers, andstate and local service providers. (Contains 67 references.) (SLD)

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SERVING HOMELESS CHILDREN:The Responsibilities of Educators

September 1992

Prepared for tho U.S. Department of Education under contract 1.0 89089001.

Me views reflected in this document do not necessarily represent the views of the Department.

4

UNI I LD S1A I LS DLPAWI MLN I 01 [DUCA I ION

WASHINGTON, DC 20202-6132

Dear Fellow Educators:

Throughout the United States, homeless r'lildren and their families wage acontinuing battle to participate in school on the same footing as their morematerially advantaged classmates. Countless caring administrators andteachers help in this struggle. But there is still much more to be done.

This booklet describes many ways to help homeless students achieve full,effective participation in the educational programs to which they are enti-tled. The ideas here are important for many reasons, from the simple justiceof ensuring access to services, to the imperative need of including everychild in the campaign to achieve the national education goals.

Efforts to extend services to homeless students need not take the form ofelaborate programs. In fact, singling out these students for special programswould be counterproductive in most situations. What is needed is effective,behind-the-scenes work to ensure that every child has access to appropriateservices, and that red tape does not ensnarl the homeless families for whomevery daily routine can be a struggle. Through administrative policies andprocedures, classi-oom practice, and collaboration with other agencies, edu-cators can ease the way for homeless students.

Schools and school systems that embark on this work can find many goodstrategies and ideas for policies in this booklet. Rather than specifying full-blown exemplary models to be copied in detail, the booklet presents dozensof solutions to the specific, everyday problems that arise in effectively serv-ing homeless students. I urge you to use it Ls a source of practical help inyour own work.

Sincerely,

/ / y/Mary Jean LeTendreDirectorCompensatory Education Programs

Acknowledgements

We could not have produced this booklet without the help of manypeople at the State and district levels who took the time to talkwith us about their efforts to meet the needs of homeless students.

Particular thanks go to those who hosted our .ite visitsJoAnn Duncan orthe Dallas Independent School District, Sherry Zekowski and Stephen Phillipsof the New York City Board of Education, Beverly Wallace of the District ofColumbia Public Schools, Susan de Alcorn of the Seattle Public Schools, andP. Karen Hill and Evelyn Rogers of the Philadelphia School District. They andtheir staff members' comments and suggestions were most helpfid.

Thanks also go to the members of this project's advisory panel, includingJoan Alker of the National Coalition for the Homeless, Maria Luisa Gonzalesof New Mexico State University, Dana Harris of the HomelessnessInformation Exchange, Joseph Johnson of the Texas Education Agency,Andrew Lachman of Community School District #2 in New York City, LisaMihaly of the Children's Defense Fund, Calvin Stone of the MadisonMetropolitan School District, and Cynthia Uline formerly of thePennsylvania Department of Education. Their sincere concern that this pro-ject result in a document that educators and administrators will find helpfulfor effectively serving the needs of homeless students is laudable.

Francine Vinson, Thomas Fagan, and Christine Miller of the office ofCompensatory Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education (ED),deserve special thanks for their efforts to see this project through to comple-tion. In ED's Office of Policy and Planning, Elois Scott provided helpful com-ments and suggestions.

Those at Policy Studies Associates who contributed to the project includeJoanne Bogart, Leslie Anderson, Emanuel Pastreich, Lisa D. Richardson, andBrenda Turnbull.

6

Introduction

Iessica; her brother, Christopher; her two-year-old sister, Shana; and theirmother, Margaret; lived in a tenement. There, the daily challengesincluded battling rodents and insects that invaded their lives. Often

Jessica had to stay up at night to protect her baby sister's crib from rats. Atschool she would often fall asleep in class while trying to complete a writingassignment. Concerned, her trfacher sent notes home to Margaret asking ifJessica was getting enough sleep.

After six months, Jessica's family moved from the tenement house to ashelter. There, things got worse; Jessica became more detached from herteacher and friends at school. Her grades began to suffer severely becauseshe couldn't find a quiet place to study amidst all the noise and confUsionat the shelter. Soon, frustrated with her school work and ashamed of herappearance and lack of appropriate supplies for school, Jessica began skip-ping school altogether.

It was not long after Jessica began skipping school, however, that thelocal school district began providing special services for homeless childrenand their fiunilies. Family workers in the school district visited the shelterevery day to make sure the children attended school and had adequateclothing and school supplies. This district also began training teachers andschool staff to be sensitive to "the feelings and shame and to the great gapsin knowledge that often go along with being a homeless child" (Berger,New York Times, April, 1990). Finally, as a result of the efforts of schooldistrict officials and shelter providers, a special, quiet room in the shelterwas set aside where children could do their homework after school. Soon,Jessica started feeling better about her life and her school work. Margarettook advantage of the new adult education courses being provided by theschool district; she started classes in nutrition, methods of discipline, andGED preparation.

As a result of the school district's effbrts, often in concert with shelterproviders, Jessica's educational experiences have become more positive. Shehas gotten 100 percent on spelling tests and an award for perfect atten-dance. Margaret says Jessica "feels better, feels safe. The teacher sent me anote that said she's a bright girl and she's developing well."

7

Homelessness is stressful, espe-cially f.)r children, living in shel-ters or other cramped living quar-ters often gives rise to physicaland emotional difficulties. Child-ren of families living in shelterscan suffer developmental delays,learning diff:culties, and high lev-els of depression and anxiety as aresult of overcrowded and/or tem-porary living conditions. In fact,one research study has shown thathigh percentages of school-agechildren living in shelters failschool or are retained at least Oneyear (Bassuk & Rubin, 1987).

If we are to accomplish the Na-tional Education Goals, we mustserve children from all walks of

All children have the right toreceive high-quality educationaland social services in a safe andcaring environment. Subtitle VII-Bof the Stewart B. McKinney I tome-less Assistance Act (the McKinneyAct) assures this right to homelesschildren and youth.

The McKinney Act provisionsare premised on three policies: (1)all homeless children have thesame right to a free and appropri-ate public education as non-home-less children; (2) states shouldreview and revise residency lawsand "other laws, regulations, prac-tices, or policies that may act as abarrier to the enrollment, atten-dance, or success in school ofhomeless children and homelessyouth"; and (3) homelessnessalone is not a sufficient reason toseparate students from the main-

stream school environment(McKinney Act, Section 721).

This booklet is intended to helpeducators and school personnel tobetter address this serious nationalproblem. Whether you are a schoolsecretary, teacher, principal, districtoffice employee, shelter provider, orsuperintendentyou should readthis. The probability is great thatthere are homeless children in yourcommunity needing your help. Infact, significant numbers of home-less children have been identified inurban, suburban, and rural areasthroughout the country (U.S.Government Accounting Office,1990). Estimates of the numbersvary: states reported that 220,000school-age children were homelessduring the 1988-89 school year(U.S. Department of Education,1989); a more recent estimate isthat approximately 450,000 chil-dren of all ages in this country arehomeless (National Law Center onHomelessness and Poverty, 1990);and many experts believe both esti-mates are low.

This booklet outlines some of theeducational needs of homeless chil-dren and youth and suggestsactions that people within state orlocal agencies, schools, and sheltersmight take to help ensure an appro-priate education for them.Information was obtained throughtelephone interviews with homelessproject staff, visits to state and localschools and programs, and litera-ture reviews. Therefore, the strate-gies that are discussed below are not

unrealistic or abstract ideas. Rather,they are concrete examples of howpeople in all parts of the U.S. havedeveloped and organized resourcesto meet the needs of homeless chil-dren and families. Many of theexamples in this booklet are drawnfrom federally funded programs;similar examples could have beendrawn from other programs thatmany educators, corporate spon-sors, and advocates believe areexemplary. We have not systemati-cally searched for "the best" pro-grams in the country but for pro-grams that represent the manygood ideas currently at work.

We strongly encourage you toshare information about what jointprojects you are doing with otherpeople in the education field. Notsurprisingly, one of the most signifi-cant findings of our study is thatpeople and organizations servinghomeless children need to commu-nicate with each other. Effectiveprograms exist throughout thenation, and the information theycan offer is too valuable not toshare.

In the sections that follow, wedefine and discuss the specific prob-lems that prevent homeless chil-dren and youth from receivingquality education. Specifically, wediscuss issues of ensuring access toschool, meeting homeless children'spersonal needs, providing academicsupport systems, and collaborating

with other agencies to provide ser-vices to the homeless population.Finally, we offer suggestions abouthow educators and other social ser-vice providers can make a differencein the lives of homeless childrenand their families.

This booklet tells you how educa-tors and other service providers havesolved some of the problems thatimpede high-quality education forhomeless children. Not every exam-ple will be applicable to your situa-tion, but educators in many differenttypes of communities can find prac-tical ideas here about ways to:

expedite the requirements andprocedures for enrolling childrenand youth in school, especiallythrough new ways of handlingrecords;

provide homeless students withtransportation services comparableto those that other students receive,as the law requires;

meet students' health needs andother personal needs efficiently andwithout calling undue attention tothem;

increase teachers' and other stu-dents' sensitivity to the problemsthat homeless children and youthface; and

ensure that students who moveoftenincluding hom:'lc . ents

and also many other studentsdonot miss out on the educational ser-vices they deserve.

Access to Education

The Smith family has recently had to move out of an apartment andinto a shelter fifteen miles away. According to district residency andenrollment policies, the children must either attend the school closest

to the shelter where they reside or the parents must transport their childrenback to their home school. Although school is a priority for the family, Mr.and Mrs. Smith caimot provide the transportation necessary to keep theirchildren in their old school.

Hoping to make the best of things, Mrs. Smith goes to the new localschool to enroll her children. The secretary tells her that, because school hasalready started, the enrollment process is going to be difficult. The motherinsists she wants to enroll her children. The secretary asks where the familylives. When Mrs. Smith gives the address, the secretary tells her that the busroute does not serve that neighborhood. The secretary then asks for the chil-dren's health and academic records from their previous school. The motherdoesn't have tlwm. She explains that they had to leave their last residencerather quickly. The secretary calls the registrar !Or assistance, and the regis-trar asks Mrs. Smith if she has any hlentification to verify residency. Shedoesn't have an electric bill or a phone bill to offer. The secretary asks if themother might luive copies of the children's birth certificates, but she does not.The registrar explains to Mrs. Smith that in order to enroll her children, theschool needs pm( of guardianship, proof of residency, and immunizationrecords. She then tells Mrs. Smith that they will contact the old school, but inthe mewttime the children will not be allowed to attend school.

7e;

10

The story you have just read showssome of the barriers that homelessfamilies are regularly forced to sur-mount in school districts across thecountry. Homeless parents trying toenroll their children in school mustovercome numerous obstacles,including lack of academic andhealth records, lack of convenienttransportation, and difficulty inproving residency or guardianship.While education is usually as muchof a priority for homeless families asfor non-homeless families, it mustcompete with other unmet needssuch as obtaining food and clothing,finding a place to live, and findingsuitable employment.

In addition, homeless parents maynot have the experience, time, orresources necessary to find their waythrough the bureaucratic maze thatfaces them as they try to registertheir children for school without thenecessary records. There is often noagency or individual willing or ableto take responsibility to see that par-ents are given the assistance theyneed to register their children. Thismeans that when school districts areunclear about jurisdictional responsi-bilities and parents do not have thetime or skills necessary to follow upon required forms, the result can bethat homeless students are effective-ly denied access to the educationguaranteed to them.

We address below some of themajor barriers faced by homelesschildren and families as theyattempt to gain access to publiceducation.

Records and EnrollmentMost school districts require that

families provide school and immu-nization records as a condition for achild's enrollment. Also required isproof of residency and guardian-ship. However, homeless familiesoften do not have such informationreadily available for any of the fol-lowing reasons:

families that have recentlymoved or are living in a temporaryshelter may have difficulty keepihealth and other records;

the cost of obtaining cor ies ofdocuments may be prohibitive; or

children or youth may not livewith their legal guardians.

States receiving Stewart B.McKinney funds are required todevelop plans that demonstratethat they have reviewed and revisedpolicies in order to remove barriersto enrollment for homeless chil-dren. The McKinney Act requiresthat in revising their laws, statesconsider issues concerning require-ments of immunization, residency,birth certificates, school records orother documentation, andguardianship. It also requires thatspecial attention be given to ensur-ing the enrollment and attendanceof homeless children who are notcurrently attending school(McKinney Act, Section 722(0(9)).

The following are examples ofwhat school districts and others aredoing to assist families and expeditethe enrollment process.

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I he Philadelphia School Dist tic thas adopted enrollment policiesdevised by the Homeless StudentInitiative project, ixhich include thefolkrwing:

loIllelesS students living inshelters must he admitted toschools immediately uponarrival, regardless of Whetherthey have immunizationrecords or transfers. Receivingschools are responsible for con-tacting the previous school forrecords.

lomeless students who are eli-gible for special education areto he admitted to a school With01' 1,vithout records...1 school111i11' Ot exclude homeless spe-cial education students whilerecords are heing transferred orbecause there is no special edo-cation program in that school.

In addition to adopting theseenrollment policies, the districtappointed a homeless liaison toexpedite the enrollment process forhomeless students. The liaisonoperates a homeless student identi-fication and tracking system in con-junction with the school district'sAttendance Division. This trackingsystem consists of computerizedstudent files, compiled by theschool &strict, containing currentinformation about the enrollmentstatus ot children who reside inshelters. With informaticm obtainedby shelter providers, the liaison usesthe files to enter important infor-mation concerning shelter place-ment and the enrollment status of

homeless childten. It a child moves0111 of a shelter, the liaison isresponsible for entering the newresickncy data into the system andverifying that the child has enrolledin a new school. If the studentmoves to a new school because thefamily has moved to a new shelt,..r,the liaison contacts the new schoolregarding the transfer of schoolrecords.

a Like Philadelphia's project,uregon's Saleill-Kei/er SchoolDistrict has a Homeless EducationProgram that employs a home-school liaison. This person worksclosely with the homeless families,shelters, and schools to facilitatestudents enrollment ill localschools. The liaison closely moni-toN the needs of homeless familiesand continuously links them withthe relevant service providers. Theliaison also works directly with par-ents to till out any necessary forms.The project uses a tracking systemto facilitate the transfer of academ-ic and health records to students'new schools.

\ew York Citv's CommunitySchool District #2 employs six-case-management associates whowork to ensure that homeless chil-dren have access to adequate trans-portation to schools, proper acade-mic screening and placement, andcounseling services. They have setup a process for monitoringstudents' attendance at school,which includes interviewing allnew shelter families and contact-ing students' previous schools to

1 2

obtain school and immunizationrecords. Students' school atten-dance is tracked by the case man-agers, who visit every school in thedistrict every two weeks to checkattendance records; when atten-dance is erratic, case managersbegin calling parents and even visit-ing them at the shelters to encour-age them to get their children toschool daily. Finally, the district hasset up a computerized database fortracking the residency and enroll-ment status of all shelter children.Every month, all sub-districts inDistrict #2 that are serving home-less students must provide the cen-tral district office with updatedinformation about students' date ofbirth, their kientification number,the number of days they have beenpresent in school, when they wereadmitted to the school, and theirmost current place of residence.

The San Francis«) UnifiedScLool District has made arrange-ments with the Department ofPublic Health so children can beimmunized immediately. The dis-trict has a'.so developed proceduresfor locating school records orpreparing affidavits if i-ecords aremissing. If parents cannot present abirth certificate for their children,they can fill out a guardianship/emancipation form. The school dis-trict will serve any child when anadult claims guardianship for thatchild. The district also has devel-oped transportation agreements toensure that all children can remainin the same school where they are

enrolled even if their family movesto a new district. Finally, the districtdeveloped a circular routing systemto inform incoming shelter familiesabout available social services in thedistrict. This information is alsorelayed to families through theschools and the Department ofPublic Social Services.

To aid the schools' enrollmentprocess in Orange County,(:alifornia, homeless families canclaim the county's department ofeducation as their official place ofresidence. In addition, the countyhas installed an 800 number thatfamilies can use to notify thedepartment of education of theirwhereabouts within southernCalifornia. This arrangement allowsthe department to monitor themost current location of the area'shomeless children.

Ari/olla legislation has maderesidency requirements for schoolenrollment more flexible for home-less children and youth. Previously,residency requirements directed allchildren and youth to attend schoolin the district where their parents orguardians resided. Now, schools canenroll children and youth who livewith an adult other than their par-ents or guardians, but only if "evi-dence indicates the living situationis in the child's best interest." Thiscaveat was inserted into the legisla-tion in order to avoid creating anopen enrollment policy throughoutthe state. Accordingly, district staffdetermine on a case-by-case basiswhether evidence exists to warrant

children and youth living with peo-ple other than their parents orguardians. In addition, homelesschildren and youth no longer mustprovide birth certificates or otheridentification in order to enroll inschool.

All marvlancl school districtshave developed policies thatremove barriers to enrollment. TheAllegany County school district hasthe following policies:

A pare rit or guardian and stu-dent with a questionable placeof residence may present them-selves to register at a publicschool. School personnel thenmake a determination of thestudent's homelessness basedupon the state definition. If thestudent is identified as home-less, the school must registerthe student and arrange forfree lunch and transportationservices.A homeless student may arriveat the school to register withouta parent or guardian. The stu-dent should be registeredimmediately and efforts shouldbe made to contact parents orguardians to complete the regis-tration process. School staffshould maintain documenta-tion of all written and verbalcommunication and home vis-its to contact guardians. If noparent or guardian is located,the local social service agencyshould be contacted.Homeless students without abirth certificate and or immu-

nization records are allowed to reg-ister. After the student is enrolled,the school is required to contact theformer school and request the stu-dent's school records.

TransportationThe transportation of students to

and from school is another issuethat districts must address. TheMcKinney Act requires states toreview and undertake to removetransportation barriers (Section721(2)), and it requires schools anddistricts to provide homeless stu-dents with transportation servicescomparable to those offered otherstudents (McKinney Act, Section722 (e)(5)). Nevertheless, sheltersare often not located on regularschool bus routes, so the children inshelters can be faced with thechoice of either paying for publictransportation (if it exists) or notattending school.

Transportation issues becomemore complicated when a familymoves to a shelter in a new area butwants to keep the student enrolledin the previous or "home" school.The amended McKinney Act statesthat the local education agencyshall either continue the child's edu-cation in the school of origin for theremainder of the academic year (orfor the following year in the casewhere a child becomes homelessbetween academic years) or enrollthe child in the school of the atten-dance area where he or she is actual-ly living. Parental preference mustbe considered in this decision(McKinney Act, Section 722(e)(3)).

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When a homeless student movesfrom one school district to another,it is often unclear which district, ifany, has the responsibility to paythe transportation costs of that stu-dent. Often, students remain out ofschool while jurisdictional issuesare worked out or while they waitto receive transportation passes.Meanwhile, a homeless family liv-ing in temporary shelter may beforced to move before these issuesare resolved, thus forcing the fami-ly to begin the process all overagain.

Following are some examples ofways programs have begun to meettransportation needs:

The state of Connecticut enact-ed legislation that requires a stu-dent's former school district to payfor transporting the student fromthe chelter to the former school.

Homeless students living in theMadison, Wisconsin MetropolitanSchool District take taxis to theirhome schools. The school districtmaintains an account with local cabcompanies, and students give theaccount number to the cab drivers.

The Salenl-Kei/er, Oregon AreaTransit System provides free bustickets to homeless children,enabling them to attend their origi-nal schools when their familiesmove outside the district.

Students' Personw Needs

ary is a very happy, healthy, well-adjusted second grader. She likesher teachers, her school work, and has lots of triends with whomshe plays during recess and after school. Every' time Mary's Mr-

mer first grade teacher, Mrs. Johnson, sees Mary in the hallway, she mar-vels at the change that's taken place in Mary's behavior, attitude, health,and appearance. After all, only a few months have passed since Maryreturned to school.

When .:lary was in her first grade cuss, Mrs. lohnson knew that shewas living in a homeless shelter with her Mmily. Nevertheless, it was notuntil Mary stopped coining to school that she realized the extent to which theliving situation was affecting the child's attitude and perfOrmance. WhenMrs. Johnson called a social service agency' to rind out what she could do tohelp Mary, she learned that her own school district had just developed a newprogram Mr homeless children and youth. The program provided health careand nutritional services to homeless children, as well as referrals for home-less families to other service agencies that provide food, clothing, and sup-plies tbr school.

Immediately, Mrs. Johnson approached her principal to see what couldbe done to obtain these services Mr Marv. After a few days and a series ofphone calls to the district office, the shelter where Maty lived, and varioussocial service agencies ill the community, Mrs. Johnson and the principalwere able to get Mary back into school and connected to the services providedwukr the district's new program. Soon, Vary had proper clothes and ade-quate school supplies, and she rarely had to miss school tbr health reasons.

At the same time, Mrs. Johnson began developing a special instructionalunit on the conditions of homelessness. She remembered how Mary neverseemed to have many friends and was sometimes taunted by her class-matesabout her appearance. She also wanted to develop teachers' awareness ofhomelessness, remembering how long it took her to react to the problemsMary was experiencing iii school. The new instructional unit encouragedboth teachers and students to be sensitive to the physical and emotionalneeds of homeless people and helped them learn about the economic andsocial trends that precipitate homekssness.

16

s.

In order to make homeless chil-dren's school experiences more pos-itive and productive, school person-nel and shelter providers must con-sider taking action to meet the basicand personal needs of their home-less student population. ks researchhas warned, meeting these needs isoften a prerequisite for normaldevelopment and success in school.The following sections define thoseneeds that often go unmet. In addi-tion, they offer strategies and pro-grammatic responses to combatsome of the disadvantages resultingfrom being homeless.

Physical NeedsFor poor and homeless children,

inadequate medical care is amongthe most serious problems. In fact,homeless children often receivemedical attention only in emergen-cies. Consequently, many are notfully immunized and may sufferfrom untreated infections, allergies,and internal ailments. As if theseproblems are not enough, homelessparents typically cannot purchaseadequate food or do not have accessto cooking facilities to feed theirchildren. A lack of proper nutritionis also one of the leading healthproblems among homeless chil-dren. In addition, because sheltersare often overcrowded, homelesschildren are frequently prone tosuch infections and conditions asdiarrhea, gastroenteritis, upper res-piratory infections, ear intections,and the like. These medical prob-lems often result in misseci schooldays, reduced attention spans in the

classroom, and even delayed lan-guage development.

Finally, the need for clean, pre-sentable clothing and adequateschool supplies frequently affecthomeless children's school experi-ences. Without adequate clothesand supplies, a homeless child feelsconspicuously different and vulner-able. The consequences of a child'speers knowing he or she is home-less can be disastrous. Some home-less children are reluctant to attendschool if they have been ridiculedand ostracized.

Some of the most serious educa-tional problems found amonghomeless children result from a lackof necessary resources. Meetingchildren's physical needs can go along way toward maximizing theirlearning potential. The McKinneyAct authorizes several kinds ofactivities in this area, includingreferral to health services (Section723(b)(2)(C)), coordination betweenschools and other agencies servinghomeless children (Section723(b)(2)(I)), other extraordinary oremergency assistance (Section723(b)(2)(0)), and direct serviceprovision (Section 722(c)(2)). Thefollowing examples prove that thereare many innovative efforts underway to help alleviate the difficultcircumstances homeless childrenfrequently confront.

The Philadelphia School DiArictguarantees all its pupils the follow-ing health services:

Annual vision screening

Hearing screening in gradesK-3, 6, and 11

Biannual growth screeningScoliosis screening in grades6 and 7Tuberculosis screening in grades1 and 9Dental screening in grades K-4Health history reviewAssistance in finding a familydoctor or clinicProvision of health informationand referralsThe school district's nurse

practitioners and shelter-basedmedical personnel work togetherto identify and service the addi-tional health care needs of chil-dren living in shelters. Schools letshelter nurses know when childrenliving in shelters need physicalexams, immunizations, or healthneeds assessments. Schools work-ing in conjunction with communi-ty service and shelter providers canoftentimes quickly satisfy the med-ical needs of homeless childrenand their families.

As a result of efforts within theDepartment of Education in OrangeCounty, California, the county'shealth and social services depart-ments now provide health servicesat locations that are convenient forhomeless families. Personnel fromeach of the departments travel totwo sites where homeless familiescommonly gather. There they pro-vide homeless children and theirfamilies health screening, referralsto free health care providers and

other social services, and advice onnutrition and hygiene.

The Seattle School District'sEffective Schools Initiative forHomeless Youth program providesa 5-8 member Student AssistanceTeam (SAT) to each of its six "desig-nated" schools serving homelesschildren and youth. This teamserves to identify basic transitionalneeds such as clothing, school sup-plies, and the like. The team trou-ble shoots, coordinates tutorial ser-vices, and develops individualizedaction plans for homeless childrenand their families. Each SAT is typi-cally composed of the school prin-cipal, the case manager, a familysupport worker, the school psychol-ogist, the school's coordinator ofvolunteer services, a volunteerworker, a tutor, and the programevaluator. Once a week, the teammeets to discuss the needs ofincoming homeless children andfollow-up on the progress of others.In addition, the SAT helps home-less families identify and gainaccess to various social serviceagencies throughout the city.

The Madison, Wisconsin SchoolDistrict's Transition EducationProgram (TEP) provides counselingand supplies to homeless studentsand their families. Students takepart in weekly support group activi-ties and can speak with the pro-gram's counselor whenever theyhave a problem. Students are alsoprovided with school supplies,clothes, snacks, breakfasts, and hotlunches. TEP also offers parents the

same service it offers the children,including access to the program'scounselor, clothing, and personalsupplies.

Social and Emotional NeedsBeing homeless is a traumatic and

stressful experience for anyone,especially children. In addition totheir many physical needs, home-less children may have special socialand emotional needs resulting froma destabilized, disrupted, or con-fused family life. These needs maybe amplified in situations wherehomeless children are ridiculed andstigmatized at school. The instabili-ty and uncertainty of their lives canmake it hard for homeless childrento achieve in school.

Much of what contributes to theemotional instability of some home-less children is the fact that home-less families are constantly forced tomove. Mobility is perhaps the mostcommon characteristic of homeless-ness. In fact, before ever reachingthe shelters, families have moved inand out of the homes of relativesand friends several times. One of theunfortunate consequences of suchmobility is that families are con-stantly having to move their chil-dren into and out of schools as theysearch for new places to stay. Evenshelters typically allow families tostay for only limited periods of time.Some of the manifestations of thisforced mobility for the child includethe following:

lack of a sense of private spaceor possessions;

aggressive b:.havior;

frustration; anddifficulty with transitions.

Strategies do exist, however, forcombating the negative conse-quences of persistent migration. Forexample, providing a secure mndconsistent school experience forhomeless children can do wondersfor the emotional stability of achild. School can be a safe havenfor the child whose family life is inturmoil. Some schools, for example,have created special policies limit-ing the amount of regrouping, rear-ranging, and classroom changingthat teachers can impose on stu-dents. Such policies are intended tohelp children and youth feel secure,comfortable, and familiar with theirclassroom and school surroundingsand can temper the consequencesof the unsettling and uncomfort-able situations that homeless chil-dren face outside of school.Furthermore, strategies such asthese are beneficial to all children,not just those who are homeless.

In choosing and carrying outthese strategies, schools must bearin mind that "homelessness aloneshould not be sufficient reason toseparate students from the main-stream school environment"(McKinney Act, Section 721(3)).States and districts are required toadopt policies and practices toensure that homeless children arenot isolated or stigmatized(McKinney Act, Section722(e)(1)(I)).

1 9

Other strategies include providingsensitization workshops for stu-dents and staff. Because studentsand school staff often do not under-stand or recognize the problemsaccompanying homelessness, it isdifficult to shield homeless childrenfrom the unpleasant realities of oth-ers' ignorance. The effects of beingridiculed in school can be emotion-ally devastating to children.Therefore, states are required todevelop and implement programsto heighten awareness of specificproblems of educating homelesschildren and youth (McKinney Act,Section 722(c)(5)).

The following are descriptionsof programs addressing the socialand emotional needs of homelessstudents:

The staff of the Portland,Oregon, School District's "ProjectReturn" offers training to increasedistrict staff's awareness of and sen-sitivity to the conditions facinghomeless youth. Training sessionsinclude information on the experi-ences faced by homeless childrenand the educational and emotionalconsequences of homelessness.

At a local elementary school,the Detroit, Public Schools estab-lished "Programs for HomelessChildren" to serve children livingin three area shelters. At the school,a full-time social worker provides avariety of services to program par-ticipants, including individual and

group therapy sessions that helpchildren develop self-esteem, self-expression, and problem-solvingand motivational skills. The socialworker also helps homeless familiesobtain special education services fortheir children and organizes week-end and evening field trips for stu-dents who maintain regular schoolattendance and satisfactory acade-mic achievement. Homeless parentsalso have access to the program'sguidance and counseling services.

The Massachusetts StateDepartment of Education's"Inservice Workshop Project" spon-sored a series of workshops in 1989-90 to inform educators, shelterproviders, and other social serviceagents about the special needs ofhomeless children and their fami-lies. Among the workshops' objec-tives were the following:

to help parents, teachers, andchildren recognize the similari-ties between themselves andhomeless families;to help teachers assist homelessstudents to form friendshipswith their non-homeless peers;to inform teachers, shelterproviders, and social workersabout the "common fallaciesand myths" about homeless-ness; andto inform teachers and otherschooA ,taff about the problemshomeless children typicallyconfront in and out of school.

9 0

Educational Support

After a homeless student was inappropriately placed in her fourth-grade class in the middle of the year, Mrs. Hikes began talking withother teachers at the school about their experiences with homeless

students. She quickly realized that, on average, every teacher in the schoolhad one or two homeless students in his/her class. Worried that studentswere not being placed in the appropriate grade level or receiving necessary ser-vices, Mrs. Hikes approached the school's principal and district administra-tors to see what could he done She discovered that, in response to growingnumbers of homeless families Irving in the town, the district was developinga system that would help sc'!ools assess and appropriately place students inthe regular classroom more quickly. In addition, the district was trying to hiremore counselors to help with the escalating number of students and familiesneeding services.

Mrs. Hikes felt, however, that once the students were placed they wouldnot receive enouglz support. She began working with the school's principal,teachers, and the Parent-Teacher Association to expand the services availableto homeless students at her elementary school. With a grant fi-om the &s-trict, teachers and parent volunteers developed an after-school program thatmet three times a week. The program, which was open to all of the school'sstudents, offered academic tutoring as well as cultural and recreationalevents and activities. In addition, Mrs. Hikes and parent volunteers workedout car pooling arrangements so that homeless students would always have aride to and from school when needed.

2

Schools must ensure that home-less students receive all the educa-tional services for which they qual-ify (WKinney Act, Section722(e)(S)). These include appropri-ate grade placement and also sup-port services, such as special educa-tion for some students and enrich-ment for others. Unfortunately,one of the most formidable obsta-cles to educational attainment forhomeless youth is their mobility.Educators are often reluctant toput the necessary effort into devis-ing an appropriate program for astudent who may leave the schoolsoon after arriving. School admin-istrators may also feel that con-ducting assessments for homelessstudents outside the usual assess-ment cycle is too burdensome andexpensive. However, mobility isbecoming a national issue that canno longer be ignored. It is an issuenot only for homeless chiid7en butfor others as well: children fromhouseholds whose parents mustmove to find employment oppor-tunities; children whose parentsare in the military; and migrantchildren who travel from place toplace due to crop growing cyclesoften remain in one school forperiods that are less than onemonth long.

School staff must develop waysof effectively handling mobility, asit is affecting significant numbersof children across the country. Thefollowing are some general sugges-tions for actions school staff mighttake to address the mobility issue:

Teachers need inservice train-ing that can prepare them to workwith children who enter and leavetheir class during the year whilestill maintaining the flow of theircurriculum.

School counselors c: , betrained to handle issues that affectincoming children and their fami-lies, using a whole system approachto assist the child and the family toadjust to the new school.

Assessment can be flexibleenough to deal with children whoenter school at times that do notcorrespond to the regular assess-ment cycle. These may include lessexpensive, relatively accurate pre-liminary assessments to allow a stu-dent immediate access to educa-tional services.

A school can expedite theassessment process (e.g., for place-ment in special education) ifrequested by a parent or by schoolpersonnel. Special policies can bedesigned to ensure due process, yetallow for prompt evaluation andplacement if needed. If school per-sonnel learn that a homeless stu-dent is moving, they should inter-vene to find out if the child'senrollment in that school can bemaintained.

Districts and schools must pro-vide homeless children with theeducational programs and supportsystems they need to succeed.Programs like Chapter 1, which pro-vide instructional help to educa-tionally disadvantaged youth, are

0;1

available to all eligible children.Moreover, some districts andschools create programs that specifi-cally address the educational needsof homeless children. Districts canalso establish before- and after-school or summer programs to helphomeless students receive the sup-port that they need (McKinney Act,Section 723(b)(2)(F)). Such pro-grams, which need not be limitedto homeles students alone, canoffer academic support, culturalenrichment, counseling, or recre-ational activities. What is importantto know, however, is that Section722 of the McKinney Act requiresthat homeless children receive edu-cation services comparable in quali-ty and quantity to those providedto their non-homeless peers. Inaddition, the law requires state andlocal educational agencies to "adoptpolicies and practices to ensure thathomeless children and homelessyouth are not isolated or stigma-tized" (Section 722(e)(1)(I)).

Following are some examples ofways state departments of educa-tion, districts, shelters, and localschools are addressing the educa-tional needs of homeless students:

The New York (:itv Board ofEducation offers an after-schoolprogram that provides tutoring andcounseling services as well as recre-ational activities for all students.The project was initiated in 1985 toserve the needs of homeless ele-mentary students in New York Cityschools. The project provides trans-portation between the shelters and

the schools four days a week. Afterschool, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., 150students receive tutoring, counsel-ing, and recreation services.

To avoid stigmatizing homelesschildren, this project is open toall interested students. It isfunded through the stateboard's AttendanceImprovement and DropoutPrevention program.

New York (.ity also provides anacademic project offering instruc-tion and support services to home-less adolescents who live in sheltersand transitional hotels throughoutthe city. The project provides reme-diation in reading, writing, math,and English as a second language.Instruction is also available forGED preparation.

To improve homeless students'self-esteem and interest in learning,the Nort h Dakota Department ofPublic Instruction provides tutoringservices, latchkey and after-schoolprograms, school supplies, andhome-to-school transportation. Thedepartment offers recreationalactivities and educational servicesto students, including classes in lan-guage arts, mathematics, science,music, and art. Students also writeand illustrate their own books con-sisting of personal stories aboutbeing homeless.

Nfaryland has initiated severalprojects in an attempt to offer com-prehensive services for its homelessstudents. The services availablereach approximately 1,200 studentsa year. One example, the Helping

Hands Project, provides tutoringand homework assistance, readingmaterials, designated study areasand reading corners, as well as cul-tural activities to homeless childrenin 40 shelters across the state. Theproject assigns teams of four adultvolunteers and two paid highschool students to tutor students intheir shelter or at the local library.

Teams of teachers visit local shel-ters to provide homework assis-tance and general remedial help.Services are provided two days aweek for one-and- a-half-hour ses-sions, All the teachers are volun-teers, so there is no cost to theschools or the state.

24

'4

Collaborations to Ensure that Homeless StudentsHave Access to School

1.,,,,,fayor:s Thsk Force on Homelessness found that because the city'svarious agencies and organizations failed to cooperate in their efforts,many homeless children and youth were not receiving needed ser-

vices. In response, the mayor (ind school superintendent appropriated fundsto hire a homeless liaison to hnprove communication among the citys serviceproviders and to imprmv the cityis programs and services available to 110MC-less children.

The new homeless liaison\ first act was to call a meeting fOr sclwolprincipals, shelter providers, representatives from city and state social serviceagencies, and tlw superintendent of schools. The initial meeting gaveproviders an opportimity to become acquainted with one another and the ser-vices and programs available to homeless people. In order to keep better trackof individual families, it was agreed that the meetings would be held month-ly and that the homeless liaison would work to improve the district's recordkeeping on homeless students.

Ensuing uwetings allowed service providers to share infOrmation aboutindividual families and further develop district policies. The district devel-oped infmnational pamphlets, made available at all of the city's homelessshelters, which described the school registration process and provided infor-mation about school and citv programs available to homeless students andtheir families. School personnel also began visiting shelters to talk with fami-lies of hOlneleSS students, ensured that students had adequate study areas,and offered tutoring to those in need. The homeless liaison created a comput-er tracking system that kept up-to-date records on all homeless students andworked closely with school personnel and homeless providers to monitor fam-ilies that had moved fivm the shelter. In addition, the homeless liaison beganworking to obtain donations of school supplies and clothing from local busi-nesses and faundations so students would be prepared for and feel comfbrt-able in school.

25

Ensuring that homeless childrenand youth ha, e equal access to edu-cational services and enjoy the nec-essary conditions for learningrequires cooperation and collabora-tion between educators and serviceproviders. Homeless students face avariety of economic, educational,and personal obstacles that maylimit their educational opportuni-ties. Unfortunately, no single agencyor organization has adequate infor-mation and resources to meet themultiple needs of homeless childrenand youth. Consequently, the mosteffective educational programs oftenhave two or more agencies collabo-rating and coordinating their effortsto ensure that homeless studentsand their families receive a moreadequate range of services. TheMcKinney Act requires coordinationbetween state education agenciesand other agencies serving homelesschildren (Section 722(d)(4)) andcoordination with other relevantprograms and service providers(Section 722(d)(5)).

The following are examples of col-laborations between different agen-cies and institutions. The collabora-tions are often more complex thanthey appear, because even the sim-plest programs demand that a num-ber of different organizations worktogether. Successful programs oftenrequire state and local resources, theparticipation of service providers,institutional support, and signifi-cant community involvement. Akey element of most successful pro-grams is that two or more organiza-

tions form a partnership to improvethe educational opportunities ofhomeless youth.

The School District andShelter Providers:

The Oakland, c:aliforniaSalvation Army Shelter and theOakland Unified School Districthave collaborated to provide neededservices and support for homelesschildren. The shelter requires chil-dren to attend school, and parentsare provided with information onfl'e available educational choices.The shelter and the district haveagreed that residents can attend theschool of their choice within thedistrict. The school district providestransportation passes for older stu-dents, and the shelter gives parentspasses to accompany young chil-dren. The shelter also runs an after-school program offering academicand recreational activities.

The New Ym.1, lity Board ofEducation's Students Living inTemporary Housing Program hasfamily assistants at each participat-ing shelter. The assistants visit theshelter daily and are responsiblefor ensuring that each familyunderstands the options availablefor placing their children. Theassistants then help students andtheir parents work out transporta-tion and education decisions.Shelters provide education pro-grams for parents and children andoften choose to hire social workersor guidance counselors to comple-ment the program.

The Nladison, WisconsinTransitional Education Program(TEP) emerged as a result of a city-wide effort to combine services forhomeless people. Initially, shelteroperators came together to discussissues facing homeless families.After these meetings, the directorof the Salvation Army shelterapproached a local elementaryschool to discuss working togetherto create TEP. The result was a pro-gram that mainstreams homelessstudents into regular classroomsafter assessing their needs. In addi-tion, the program helps parentsenroll their children in school andgain access to other availablesocial services.The School District and OtherHuman Service Agencies:

The New York City Board ofEducation has created the CareerEducation Center (CEC) to workwith adolescent homeless stu-dents at 25 city shelters and pro-grams. CEC has a school programat each site offering academicinstruction, counseling services,and enrichment activities. Theboar: funds counselors and socialworkers to assist the students andact as a liaison between them andthe school. The program workswith community cultural artsgroups to offer the students cre-ative, structured cultural activi-ties. CEC has also formed partner-ships with businesses which pro-vide financial support and men-toring opportunities for studentsto shadow professionals.

The State Department ofEducation and Shelter Providers:

The Massachusetts StateDepartment of Education spon-sored a number of inservice work-shops in 1989-90 to give educatorsa better understanding of how tobest serve the area's homeless pop-ulation. Children's advocates, shel-ter providers, and state agency rep-resentatives assisted in the develop-ment of the workshops. The depart-ment also developed a programwith adolescent shelters in which acertified teacher works with a shel-ter site to provide educational ser-vices to students temporarilyunable to attend regular classes.The program also provides tutoringservices to homeless adolescentswho enroll in a regular educationalprogram. The shelters were instru-mental in designing and imple-menting the program. Recently, thedepartment developed a video onthe causes of homelessness forclassroom use.

Below, we describe strategies usedto create and promote collabora-tions such as those discussed above.The successful strategies include cre-ating opportunities for communica-tion and high-level representation.

Regular Contact Ainong Agencies:Local politicians, shelters,

school district officials, and schoolsin Dallas have maintained closecontact through monthly meetingsand special task forces. The mayorfirst brought together local socialservice providers and business lead-ers to address the needs of an

X

increasing number of homelessfamilies in the area. These regularmeetings allow area shelters,school officials, and other serviceproviders to share information onthe services available to homelesspeople as well as specific informa-tion on the needs of particularfamilies. As a result of these meet-ings, volunteer groups and serviceproviders have combined to offerhomeless students tutoring, recre-ational activities, health care, andcounseling services. For example,the Dallas Jewish Coalition begantutoring at a local elementaryschool. In addition, the district'sChapter 1 parent liaison has alsotaken on the job of being the dis-trict's advocate for homeless stu-dents; the liaison attends thesemeetings to coordinate with localshelters and service providers inmonitoring individual studentsand designing responses.High-level Representationfrom Agencies:

l>!i i lade! 1)h ia's superintendentof schools formed a task force onhomeless children made up of rep-resentatives of the district's healthand education departments, theOffice of Services for the Homelessand Adults, area service providers,private charities, children's advoca-cy groups, and local politicians.The task force agreed to work with-in these agencies to improve ser-vices for homeless people andidentified several prominent needsof homeless children. The schooldistrict then initiated a number of

4 44

programs in response to thegroup's recommendations:

Students can now attend theirformer school or the schoolnearest the shelter and areimmediately registered even ifthey lack immunization andschool records.Upon registering, studentsobtain the services of coun-selors who place them in pro-grams, determine their needs(e.g., school supplies, clothing,counseling), and visit them atthe shelter.Homework centers are fundedwith McKinney money andstaffed by district teachers andcounselors in two of the largestshelters.School and shelter nurses sharestudents' medical information.The school district created theposition of homeless studentliaison/coordinator, who isresponsible for identifying andtracking homeless studentsand establishing and maintain-ing contact with shelters andthe schools serving homelessstudents.

In addition to setting the abovepolicies, Philadelphia's HomelessStudent Initiative Project producesand distributes a booklet that con-tains policy information and rec-ommendations for school-leveladministrators, teachers, and otherstaff about ways to effectively servethe needs of homeless children.This booklet also includes namesand phone numbers of relevant

28

individuals working with the schooldistrict's homeless project. In addi-tion to the booklet, the HomelessStudent Initiative disseminatesinformation to shelter providers,case managers, social workers, andparents regarding available servicesto help meet the educational needsof homeless children and youth.

Another example of high-levelcoordination occurred when NewYork University and a nonprofitcommunity organization, withfunding from the U.S. Departmentof Education and the New York CityBoard of Education, designed andimplemented a program to givehomeless adolescents the chance toobtain their high school diploma.Staff recruit for the program in wel-fare motels, shelters, and group

homes. The program then pro-vides support for the studentsuntil they graduate from highschool. Housed in the Bronx-Regional High School, studentshave access to the school's coun-seling and special services to assistthem in completing school.

And, in a final example, theSeattle Public School Districtworked with area service providersand the University of Washingtonto develop and implement a planto meet the needs of the district'shomeless students. The superin-tendent established a 37-memberHomeless Education AdvisoryCouncil comprised of educators,shelter providers, and representa-tives of community organizationsand social service agencies.

1

2 9

Other Support Services

30

This section describes additionalsupport services for homeless chit-dren that do not fall under a singlecategory. The strategies we high-light draw your attention to thevariety of services and activitiesthat helpeither directly or indi-rectlyfill a gap in the educationaland life experiences of homelesschildren. For example, becauseshelters are large, noisy buildingsoffering little privacy for anyone,homeless students often fall behindin their schoolwork. Offeringhomeless students a quiet place tostudy may help improve theirachievement in school.

Another strategy that may helpprevent children from becomingintroverted and withdrawn is set-ting up recreational activities forhomeless children outside school.Examples of such activities includeenrolling students in Boy Scouts orGirl Scouts, and taking them tomuseums, beaches, baseball games,or even shopping. Schools and shel-ter providers might even considersetting up appointments or "playdates" for homeless children to visitthe homes of their classmates.Sponsoring activities such as thesecould go a long way toward enrich-ing the childhood experiences ofhomeless children.

Finally, schools and sheltersshould consider establishing parenteducation programs so that parentscan become better informed aboutthe services available to them andtheir children. Such programs couldhelp parents learn how they can

help their children with school-work and participate in schoolactivities.

The following are examples ofstrategies and programs schoolsand school districts have devised tosupplement the school and lifeexperiences of homeless childrenand their families:

An important component ofOklaholim City Public Schools'Positive Tomorrows program ishelping parents learn how tobecome participants in the educa-tion of their children. Positive"Ibmorrows provides pat.ent work-shops on accessing social and edu-cational systems, and the programhas obtained the services of a localcommunity center to provide jobtraining for homeless parents.Parents also receive vocationaltraining, mental health counseling,and attend parenting skills work-shops at local social service agen-cies. In addition, parents and pro-gr..m volunteers work together todevelop recreational activities atthe shelters for children and youth.

Realizing the importance ofhomeless children's everyday expe-riences, the New York (:itvCommunity School District #2decided to identify the types ofafter-school activities most young-sters were participating in and gethomeless students involved as well.After talking with the relevant ser-vice providers, a reasonable finan-cial arrangement was made thatwould allow homeless children toparticipate. Now, homeless children

31

in District #2 participate in YMCAactivities, Big Sister/Big Brother pro-grams, and other activities spon-sored by various local organizations.

Reading Is Fundamental'sProject Open Book works to estab-lish cozy reading corners in shelters,schools, and housing projects.Currently there are 50 sites acrossthe country, 80 percent of whichare in homeless shelters for familiesor battered women.

Project Open Book, developedwith the U.S. Department ofEducation's Office ofCompensatory EducltionPrograms, works through thehomeless coordinators in eachstate. The project receivesdonated books from publishersand warehouses them. Privatedonations enable the project toship the books and, when nec-essary, hook cases, comfortablechairs, and other furnitureneeded to make a comfortablereading area for children.

Participating institutions give abook to each child. Parents arealso supplied with simply writ-ten material on how they canbest read and share books withtheir children.File Maryland Department of

Education's Helping Hands projectfurnishes each of the 40 shelters inthe state with a set of encyclopediasand other materials for their home-work rooms.

The New York City Board ofEducation's Project Advance offersprograms in mentoring, culturalarts, and parent involvement.Several community arts groups,including Theater Rehabilitationfor Youth and Plays for Living willcollaborate on a cultural arts pro-gram to involve participants in cre-ative, structured activities. Parentsparticipate in 20 training work-shops on topics such as school gov-ernance, skills needed to help theirchildren with schoolwork, andemployment opportunities.

32

What You Can Do forHomeless Children in Your Community

---]Ill 3 3

Up to this point, we haveaddressed institutional responses tothe national problem of educatinghomeless children and youth. Thef nal question to be addressed iswhat individuals can do to helphomeless children obtain positiveeducational experience. The follow-ing is a list of suggestions for waysyou as a principal, district adminis-trator, school secretary, teacher,counselor, shelter provider, or otheragency administrator can begin toremove barriers to education forhomeless children; we have priori-tized them according to first andsecond order concerns. First-orderconcerns are generally those tasksrelated to getting homeless childrenenrolled and properly placed inschool; second-order concernsrelate to strategies that support andimprove a child's experiences inand out of school.

Many of these suggestions werecollected from material distributedby the Maryland State Departmentof Education, the School District ofPhiladelphia, the New HampshireState Department of Education, andthe Nevada Homeless EducationProject. As you read, remember thathomeless populations often shiftwithin districts, as well as city- andstate-wide. Just because you havenever had a homeless student popu-lation before does not mean youdon't have one now.

Principal or DistrictAdministrator

First Order:Learn about homelessness in

your community and determine theextent to which the schools andschool district have responded.

Evaluate current programs serv-ing homeless students in othernearby areas to locate ones thatmight be effective in your schools.Pay attention to the size of the dis-trict, the program, and the home-less student population served.Keep in mind that larger districtsmay be in the position to providemore services or may perhaps servea different type of homeless popula-tion than yours. Consider all thedemographic and logistical vari-ables before adopting a particularprogram or strategy. Contact localshelter providers and your statehomeless coordinator for furtherinformation.

Develop programs with commu-nity organizations and health andsocial service agencies to meet theneeds of your homeless population.

Consider convening a task forceon educating homeless children;such an endeavor will informcornmunity service and municipalagencies about each organiza-tion's efforts to address the prob-lems homeless children typicallyconfront.

When developing programs,remember the value of parent par-ticipation. Programs that encourageparents to be partners in their chrl-

34

dren's education go one step furtherin addressing homeless students'educational needs.

Do not segregate homeless stu-dents into one particular school.Integrate them into a variety ofschools throughout the district. InNew York, NY, the program is called"Fair Share" all city school dis-tricts share the responsibility oftransporting and educating thehomeless student population.

Appoint a staff person to act asan advocate for homeless childrenand youth.

Prepare staff and key personnelto follow the guidelines for transferand registration of children residingin shelters.

Second Order:Prepare your staff to be sensitive

to the condition of homelessness.Invite the state coordinator andshelter director to participate instaff awareness sessions.

Work with shelter staff toupdate information on schoolevents, problems, concerns, andacademic support.

Contact local service agencies(e.g., Salvation Army, GoodwillIndustries) and collect clothing andfood donations that families canuse in emergencies.

School SecretaryFirst Order:

Make parents and new studentsfeel welcome by greeting themwarmly. Assist parents in filling out

41.

necessary forms, and distribute aparent handhook and other impor-tant materials. Find out if transport-ing the child to and from school isgoing to be a problem.

Second Order:Contact your school advocate or

teacher to let them know about stu-dents living in temporary shelters.

Invite parents to speak with theschool counselor about schoollunch and other programs, activi-ties, and services in the school.

TeacherFirst Order:

Be sensitive to the needs ofhomeless youth, including anymedical needs, but maintain consis-tently high academic expectations.

Find out where the homelessstudents in your class went toschool last and what subjects theystudied. This information caninform placement decisions.

Have a buddy system in placefor all new students. Make sure thathomeless students have the oppor-tunity to be a buddy to other newstudents.

Second Order:Provide an atmosphere that wel-

comes parents to participate inschool activities. Offer parents sug-gestions about ways they can spendtime with their children to helpwith schoolwork or take part inschool activities.

Keep parents informed aboutschool trips. It might be necessary

to contact them in advance so theywill have the time needed to pay forany trip fees or collect any tripmaterials.

Design an instructional unitaround the topic of homelessness.

School CounselorsFirst Order:

Work with the principal to solveproblems as quickly as possiblewithin the legal guidelines of thesystem.

Watch for homeless students inneed of food, clothing, shelter, ormedical attention and refer them toappropriate agencies for assistance.Take the first step in establishingpositive communications with fam-ilies. Always follow up promptly onreferrals to ensure that services havebeen provided.

Visit local shelters to keep theshelter staff informed of schoolactivities and enrollment proce-dures. Keep communications openwith shelter staff and share interestsand concerns about parents andtheir children.

Explain and answer questionsthat parents and students may haveconcerning school rules, policies,programs, and services.

Other School StaffFirst Order:

The pupil personnel worker canserve as a liaison between theschool and the shelter. Assist home-less families and students in asmooth transition to the newschool, and help them identify and

gain access to community supportresources.

School nurses can contact the pre-vious school and obtain immuniza-tion and health records. They canalso identify reliable, accessiblesources of medical and dental care forhomeless families and their children.

Second Order:Parent liaisons can also act to

improve cornmunication betweenthe school and shelter. Thei canprovide an atmosphere that wel-comes parents to participate in theschool's activities. They can alsovisit the shelters to keep shelterdirectors informed of school activi-ties, meet with parents, and con-duct parenting workshops.

Shelter ProvidersFirst Order:

Find out what the enrollmentpolicies are in your area and helpfamilies be prepared with the appro-priate materials before they go to theschools to enroll their children.

Contact local schools aboutchildren who will be enrolling.Develop a working relationshipwith schools so that the needs ofstudents will be met by both schooland shelter staff.

Provide a space for students tostudy and encourage parents towork with their children on acade-mic tasks.

Second Order:Work with local service organi-

zations or teachers unions to devel-op educational and social programs

that will meet the needs of yourhomeless population. Volunteerorganizations are often willing toprovide parent training workshopsand academic tutoring.

Invite teachers and other schoolpersonnel to visit your facility.

State Agencies, Social ServiceAgencies, and Universities

First Order:Social service agencies should

contact schools and shelters anddevelop partnerships to meethealth, food, clothing, and otherneeds of homeless families.

Second Order:Work with local service providers

by offering resources, disseminatinginformation, and helping developprograms that meet the needs ofhomeless youth in the area.

Universities can develop volun-teer tutoring programs to servehomeless children in shelters andin school.

37

References

Video Tapes

"A Place to Call Home," GlobalFood Crisis Fund, Brethren Press,1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, II,60120.

"Down and Out in America,"Joseph Feary Productions, 610West End Avenue, New York, NY10021.

"The Many Faces of Homelessness,"The Homebuilders Association,15th and M Streets, NW.,Washington, DC 20005.

"No Place Called Home," Ecufilm,810 12th Avenue, S., Nashville,TN 37203.

"Promises to Keep," Burrin Films,1 748 Kalorama Road, NW,Washington, DC 20008.

"Shelter Boy" from "The Reporters,"Fox Television, 205 East 67thStreet, New York, NY 10021.

Books and ReportsBeach, M. E. (1989). Thu can't get a

library card, if you're homeless.Montpelier, VT: Vermont StateDepartment of Education.

The Boston Foundation. (1987).HomelessnessCritical issues farpolicy and practice. Boston, MA:Author.

Bowen, J., Purrington, G., Layton,D., & O'Brien, K. (March 27,1989). Educating I lomelessChildren and Youth: A PolicyAnalysis. A symposium paperpresented at the annual meetingof the American EducationalResearch Association, SanFrancisco, CA.

Columbia University CommunityServices. (1988). Working withhomekss people: A guide fbr staffand volunteers. New York, NY:Author.

Edelman, M. W. (1987). Families inperil: An agenda jiff social cluinge.Cambridge, MA: HarvardUniversity Press.

Ely, L. (1987). Bivken lives: Deithil ofeducation lo hoMeless children.Washington, DC: The NationalCoalition for the Homeless.

Gray, Tom. (1990, November).innovative Educational ProgrdmisServing Minnesota HornelessStudents. Minnesota: MinnesotaDepartment of Education.

Haskins, R., & Gallagher, J. .(1980). Care cmd education ofyoung children. NJ: AblexPublishing Corp.

The Homelessness InformationExchange. (1987). Homeless infbr-mation packets, 1987.Washington, DC: Author.

Hope, M., & Young, J. (1986). 'rilefaces of homek,ssness. Lexington,MA: D.C. Heath & Co.

Jackson, S. (1988). Materials on theeducation of homeless chihlren.Cambridge, MA: I larvardUniversity, Center for l,aw andEducation.

Kozol, J. (1988). Rach,1 and her chil-dren. New York, NY: CrownBooks

Mc( ;all, K. (1990, February).Educating homeless chihlren andyouth: A sample of pmgnims, poli-cies, and pmcedums. Cambridge,MA: Center for Law andEducation.

Mihaly, L. (1991, January). HomelessFailed policies and young

victims. \Washington, DC:Children's Defmse Fund.

Project Gain. (1989). Dropout preven-tion Mr homeless and Nster ct/reyouth: Thwants StIVICSy.

New York, NY: Author.

Shedlin, A., Klopf, G. J., & Zaret, E.S. (1988). The school as locus ofadvocacy hir children. New York,NY: Elementary School Center.

U.S. Department of Education.(1990). Education and communitysupport for homeless children andyouth. Washington, DC: Author.

U.S. Government AccountingOffice. (1990, February).Homelessness: McKinney Act pro-grams and Pinching Ibr fiscal year1989. Washington, DC:Government Printing Office.

ArticlesAllen, M. (1988, February 28).

Children without homes: Agrowing state problem. TheTimes-Argils, 1.

Allington, It., & Brockov, K. (1988).Development of shared knowl-edge: A new role for classroomand specialist teachers.TheReading Teacher.

Alperstein, G., Rappaport, C., &Hanigan, J. M. (1968). Healthproblems of homeless children inNew York City. American Journalof Public Health, 78, 1232-1233.

Axelson, I,., Dail, .1., & Paula, W.(1988). The changing characterof homelessness in the UnitedStates. Family Relations, 37, 463-468.

Bassuk, E. R. & Rubin, L. (1987).Homeless children: A neglectedpopulation. American Journal ofOrthopsychiatrj; 5.

Bassuk, E. R., Rubin, I.., & Lauriet,A. (1986). Characteristics of shel-tered homeless families. AmericanJournal of Public Health.

Bogart, J., & LeTendre, M. J. (1991,March). Keeping homeless chil-dren in school. PM lbday, 16, 5

Center for Law and Education.(1987). The educational rights ofhomeless children. News/motes, 38.

Center for Law and Education, Inc.(1987). Homelessness: A barrierto education for thousands ofchildren. Newsnotes, 38.Cambridge, MA: Author.

39

Chiklren Today. (1986, March-April). Children in Shelters.Chihiren Mdar, 15.

Dobbin, \l. (1987, August 3). Thechildren of the homeless.News inullVorld Report, 20.

Eddowe, F.. A., & Ilarnitz, J. R.(1989). Educating children of thehomeless. Childhood Education,65, 198-21)0.

Edmonds, R. (1979). Effectiveschools for the urban poor.

Leaderqup, 37, 15-24.

Fadiman, A. ;1987, December 30). Aweek in the life of a homelessfamily. Life, 10.

Freudenberger, Torkelsen, S.F. (1984). Beyond the interper-sonalA systems model of thera-peutic care for homeless childrenand youth. Psychothenipyrheory, Ucsearch (m(1 Pnietice,21(1), 132-140.

Gardner, M. (1990, November 19).Homeless families still living inthe shadow s. The Christian Sciencehmitor.

Gewirtiman, R., & Fodor, I. (1987).Ihe homeless child at school:From Ivelfare hotel to classroom.Child Welfare, 1,.\17. 237-245.

Harrington-Lueker, D. (1989, .Iulv).What kind of school board mem-ber would help homeless chil-dren? The American Sclwol BoartlJournal.

Heath, S. R., & McI aughlin, \l. W.(1987). A child resource policy:Moving beyond dependence onschool and family. Phi DeltaKappan, 68, 576-580.

Hiratsoka,1. (1989). Homeless kidsface barriers to schoolingNational A.s.sociation of.SochdltOrkerc News.

lackson, S. (1988), Report fromWashington: Homeless childrenin America: Thev need to go toschool. PE1 Thday, 13, 27-28.

Leslie, L. (1989). Can a shelter be aschool? Newsweek, 23, 51.

Linehan, Nri. F. (1989, December).liomeless Children: LducationalStrategies for School Personnel.Pri/e Reporter.

\fatza, Michael. 11990, pril 201. "AVideo by llomeless Youths."IlicPhi/add/4th/ higiiirer.

\forty., K. J., & Segal, E. A. (1990).Homeless (:hildren: Interventionstrategies for school social work-ers. Social Work in Lducation.

\fowbray, C. T. Homeless inAmerica: Myths and realities.Americah Journal ofOrthopsychiatry,

Proch, K., & Taber, \1. A. (1987).Ilelping the homeless. PublicWelfare, 45, 5-9.

Schorr. E. B. (1989). Early interven-tiOnS to reduce inter-generationaldisadvantage: The new policycontext. Teachers Collo' Record,90, 363-374.

Stengel, R. (1987, November 24).Down and out and dispossessed:Many of the new homelessinclude families and the young.Time, 27.

Walmer, T. (1989, December 12).Forgotten homeless: Half a mil-lion in rural U.S.A. are invisible.USA Thday.

Weiss, S. (1988). No place calledhome. NEA Thday, 7, 10-11.

Whitman, I). (1988, January 11).America's hidden poor. U.S. Newsam/ World Report, 18-24.

Other PublicationsNational Association of State

Coordinators for the Educationof Homeless Children and Youth.Homeless Education Beam.Louisiana Department ofEducation: Author.

National Law Center onHomelessness and Poverty. InJust Times: A New. Ater of theNational Law Center onHomelessness and Poverty.Washington, DC: Author.

U.S. Department of Education.(1990-1991). Education ProjectsFunded Under the HomelessChildren and Youth ExemplaryGrant Program of the Stewart B.McKinney Homeless AssistanceAct (P.L. 100-77).

National Coalition for theHomeless. Safety Network: ANewsletter of the NationalCoalition for the Homeless.Washington, DC: Author.

Center for Law and Education955 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02139(202) 654-5300

Children's Defense Fund122 C Street, NW.Washington, DC 20001 (202)628-8787

The Interagency Council onthe Homeless451 Seventh Street, SW.Room 7274

Washington, DC 20410(202) 708-1480

National Association of StateCoordinators for the Educationof Homeless Children and YouthLouisiana State Dept. of Education654 Main Street, 3rd FloorBaton Rouge, LA 70801(504) 342-3338

National Coalition for the Homeless1621 Connecticut Avenue, NW.Washington, DC 20009(202) 265-2371

National Law Center onHomelessness and Poverty918 F Street, NW.Suite 412Washington, DC 20004

National Network of Runaway andYouth Services1400 I Street, NW.Suite 330Washington, DC 20005(202) 682-4114

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Homeless DisseminationAdvisory Panel

Joan AlkerAssistant DirectorNational Coalition for theHomeless Washington, DCMaria Luisa GonzalesAssociate ProfessorNew Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, New Mexico

Dana HarrisDirectorHomelessness InformationExchange

Washington, DCJoseph F. JohnsonDirector of the Division ofAccelerated In . ruction

Texas Education AgencyAustin, Texas

Andrew LachmanDirectorGovernment Relations and

External AffairsCommunity School District #2New York, New York

Lisa MihalyProgram AssociateChild Welfare and Mental HealthChildren's Defense FundWashington, DCCalvin StoneCoordinator of Programs forStudents at Risk

Madison MetropolitanSchool District

Madison, WisconsinCynthia UlineCoordinator of HomelessChildren and Youth Programs

Pennsylvania Dept. of EducationHarrisburg, Pennsylvania

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