Education & Homeless Children
Challenges and Promising Practices
McKinney-Vento &
Project HOPE-Virginia
Dr. Patricia Popp, Virginia State Coordinator
Project HOPE
Web
Causes and Impact of Homelessness
 Causes
 Poverty
 Substance Abuse
 Domestic
Violence
 Mental Illness
 Affordable
Housing
 Physical Illness
 Economic crises
 Natural disasters
 Impact
 Absenteeism is greater
 Developmental delays
occur at 4 times the
rate reported for
other children
 Learning disabilities
identified at double the
rate
 Twice as likely to
repeat a grade
McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act
Education for Homeless Children and Youth
(EHCY)
Program
Title X, Part C
2001 Reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary
Education Act
McKinney-Vento Act, EHCY
Reauthorizes the Stewart B. McKinney Act,
originally enacted in 1987
 Provides states with funding to support
local grants and statewide initiatives
 Requires educational access, attendance, and
success for homeless children and youth

The child’s classroom may be the only place
where the child can experience quiet, interact with
children his/her
age, and experience
success…
School is the most normal activity that most
children experience collectively…For homeless
children it is much more than a learning
environment. It is a place of safety, personal
space, friendships, and support.
Oakley & King, 2000
Defining homelessness for EHCY
 An
individual who lacks a fixed, regular,
and adequate nighttime residence,
including children and youth :

sharing housing due to loss of housing
or economic hardship

living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or
camping grounds due to lack of
alternative adequate housing

living in emergency or transitional
housing (What about housing first?)
Defining (cont’d)
Including children and youth :
 abandoned
 awaiting
 having
in hospitals
foster care
a primary nighttime residence that
is a public or private place not designed
for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping
accommodations
Defining (cont’d)
 living
in cars, parks, public spaces,
abandoned buildings, substandard
housing, bus or train stations
 migratory students meeting the description
 unaccompanied youth meeting the
description
Fixed, Regular, and Adequate
Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject
to change
 Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or
consistent basis (e.g., nightly)
 Adequate: Sufficient for meeting both the
physical and psychological needs typically met
in home environments
Can the student go to the SAME PLACE
(fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a
SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

McKinney-Vento EHCY
Requirements
 Appoint
a local homeless education liaison
in every LEA
 For Virginia liaisons, visit:
www.wm.edu/hope
 Provide
outreach and coordination to
identify students
EHCY Requirements (cont’d)
 Enroll
students immediately in local
school OR
 Maintain student enrollment in the
school of origin when feasible and in the
student’s best interest
Includes transportation
Even across school division lines
Get the student enrolled and
keep the student enrolled!
National Numbers
 Approx. one-third
are families
 1.6
million children – one in 45
experience homelessness (NCFH)
 1,168,354
in SY 2011-12, a 24%
increase over three years (VA –
27%)

NCHE State Profile Pages
Students Identified as Homeless
Total Enrolled in Virginia Schools
71% increase
10,564
16,420
11,776
9,898
12,768
14,223
17,940
18,006
Virginia 2012-13 Initial Primary
Nighttime Residence
Unsheltered
2%
Hotel/Motel
14%
Sheltered
14%
Doubled up
70%
Virginia's On-time Graduation Rate
percentage of students
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
State
Homeless
Homeless Anytime
2008
82.1
59.8
57.4
2009
83.2
66.5
61.7
2010
85.5
71.4
65.9
2011
86.6
70.9
65.8
2012
88
72.1
67.7
2013
89.1
73.9
70
Thaler McCormick, CEO, ForKids
Hot Meals & Homework @
ForKids: Our Mission
Breaking the
cycle of
homelessness &
poverty for
families and
children
Our Model
Housing, Education & Clinical Services
A Regional Call Center
 Adult & Children’s Education

◦ Educational assessment, tutoring &
school advocacy
◦ GED & Life Skills

Clinical Services
◦ Mental and physical healthcare

Housing Solutions
◦ Emergency Shelter
◦ Transitional Housing
◦ Permanent Supportive Housing
◦ Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing
ForKids Today
Daily Service Capacity: approx. 175+ Families
60 Residential Units
Service Teams in 3 Cities
◦ Norfolk
◦ Suffolk/Western Tidewater
◦ Chesapeake
80+ Staff
◦ 50 Full-Time
$5M Operating Budget
Our Facilities
Serving Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach,
Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight & Southampton County
In FY13…
Last year we assisted
1,014 people
(315 families w/ 637 children)
85% (128 of 150) of
households exited to
housing
Education of Homeless Children
Downstream Impact
Lower reading scores
x
Retention
Drop-outs
Lower wages
Housing Instability
25
On-Time Graduation Rate 2012
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
88.0
Chesapeake
91.2
78.8
72.1
67.7
Virginia
All Students
Economically disadvantaged
anytime
Homeless
Homeless anytime
77.0
Portsmouth
80.8
82.4
72.1
90.9
66.7
66.7
62.1
Norfolk
84.1
Virginia
Beach
86.8
76.4
75.5
77.8
61.1
51.2
69.2
67.7
65.9
68.2
Suffolk
26
Hot Meals and Homework
Started in 2007
 Partnership w/ Downtown Norfolk
Council
 Initial Goals:

◦ Continue progress of residential programs
after exit
◦ Prevent another painful loss for fragile kids
Hot Meals and Homework
The Model
 Pick up kids housed in the community
 Pair them with volunteer tutor
 Send them hope with a hot meal for the
whole family
Hot Meals and Homework
Lessons learned/program modifications
Target most at-risk kids
 Volunteers are consistent
 Volunteers have education backgrounds
 Tutoring twice-weekly/child
 Educational advocacy

Hot Meals and Homework
Educational Advocacy
IEP meetings
 Manifestation meetings
 Parent/teacher meetings
 Tracking on-line systems (eSembler,
Parent connection, etc.)
 Parent mentoring

Hot Meals and Homework
Performance from August 2011 – July 2013:

82 children served in Norfolk

40 children served in Western Tidewater

98% of children were promoted

69% of children improved their grades
and/or maintained a 2.0 GPA or greater
Hot Meals and Homework
Looking Ahead…
 Remediation vs. tutoring
 Credentialed staff
 Closer affiliation with the public schools
 Assessments
◦ Gates Macginitie reading assessment
◦ Star Math

Scale…
“Poverty is a veil that obscures
the face of greatness.”
- Khalil Gibran
Dearsley Vernon, McKinney-Vento Specialist
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System
Annabelle Suddreth, Executive Director
A Child’s Place
Background

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
◦ 144,000 students in 160 schools
◦ 53% of students are Economically Disadvantaged
◦ 73 Title I Schools

McKinney-Vento Students
◦ 2012-2013: 4,770 MCV students
◦ 2011-2012: 4,922 MCV students
◦ 2010-2011: 4,711 MCV students
◦ 2009-2010: 4,453 MCV students
MCV in Charlotte-Mecklenburg
• District Liaison
• School Liaisons
• Coordination with Transportation, Child Nutrition,
Student Placement, Family/Community Services,
International Center, Title I, School Health
• Coordination with A Child’s Place and other
Community Resources/Agencies
• MCV students identified in 98% of our schools
Why MCV Social Workers?
Schools with large MCV populations
 Unique needs of MCV students
 National data paints a sad picture
 Targeted support to this group of students
betters the overall school
 Incorporate the physical, social, emotional,
and academic needs
 9 MCV social workers serving 9 schools

Role of MCV Social Worker

General School Social Worker
◦ Responsible for ENTIRE school
◦ Focus on attendance, crisis and other critical issues

McKinney-Vento School Social Worker
◦ Spotlight on MCV students and families
◦ Attendance and Transportation
◦ Academic Challenges
◦ Social/Emotional Needs
◦ Family Needs Assessment
◦ General School Support
District Connections
9 MCV Social Workers-6 High schools, 2 K-8
schools (year round), 1 Elementary school
 Trainings for all MCV Liaisons at every school
 MCV Assessment connects siblings at other
schools (A Child’s Place assists with that also)
 Services Fair-connects schools with
community resources

Outcomes
Enrollment Stability
School
Average Daily Attendance
2011-12
2012-13
2011-12
2012-13
Billingsville ES
85%
92%
94%
94%
Bruns K-8
73%
89%
93%
92%
Druid Hills K8
70%
85%
91%
92%
Garinger HS
90%
86%
89%
84%
Harding HS
82%
83%
85%
82%
Myers Park HS
67%
82%
85%
81%
Vance HS
82%
84%
86%
83%
W Charlotte HS
79%
87%
84%
88%
W Meck HS
90%
92%
89%
84%
Outcomes
Cohort Graduation Rates
School
2011-12
2012-13
Garinger HS
88%
92%
Harding HS
50%
88%
Myers Park HS
83%
77%
Vance HS
90%
96%
W Charlotte HS
69%
91%
W Meck HS
83%
88%
Attendance
Academics
Student
Success!
Community
Services
Family
Engagement
A Child’s Place Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Began in 1989 as a one-room classroom
2,656 students served (56%) in 2012-2013
Concentrates in 33 elementary and middle schools
Works to erase impact of homelessness
Programs focus on student support, academic
support, parent support and summer day camp
Team Approach


Serves 33 elementary and middle schools
Service Models:
o School-based model – 1 Social Worker and 1 Student
Advocate located in 1-2 schools
o Flex Team Model - 1 Social Worker and 1 Student
Advocate serving 6 schools
o Brief Contacts
Community Resources
•
•
•
Leverage community resources to provide basic
needs and volunteers
Over 150 community partnerships with service
providers, government, businesses and faith
community
Participate in community coalitions and
collaborations that benefit homeless children
Outcomes (2012-2013)
Reached 2,656 of the 4,770 identified homeless children
(56%) in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2012-2013:
 99% were promoted to the next grade level
 92% received a passing grade in reading
 92% received a passing grade in math70% had an average or
better attendance rating by the final marking period
 92% had an average or higher behavior rating by the final
marking period
 65% had at least one health need met
 34% of children with educational gaps were identified and
addressed

Presenter Information
Dr. Pat Popp
Project Hope-VA – State Coordinator
pxpopp@wm.edu
Thaler McCormick
ForKids - Chief Executive Officer
tmccormick@forkidsva.org
Dearsley Vernon
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - McKinney-Vento Specialist
dearsley1.vernon@cms.k12.nc.us
Annabelle Suddreth
A Child’s Place - Executive Director
asuddreth@achildsplace.org