Moving From Access to Success: Exploring Strategies to Support the

Academic Success of Homeless and Highly Mobile Students

Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D.The College of William and Mary

pxpopp@wm.edu

Jani Koester, M.S.Ed.Kim Pickles, Ed.D.

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

October 25, 2014

McKinney-Vento Act

Reauthorizes the Stewart B. McKinney Act, originally enacted in 1987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

Outlines responsibilities for local liaisons

Access Attendance Success

The Big Three

True or False? Approximately 25% of homeless children living

in shelters are under the age of 5

Approximately 45% of homeless preschoolers have at least one major developmental delay

The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is single adult women

Building relationships is the best practice a school can develop when supporting students who are experiencing homelessness

Before enrolling and starting a student who is homeless, it is best to gather all the records you can to ensure correct classroom placement, thus having them start school once you have all the information.

Many public school districts have someone in charge of school services for students experiencing homelessness

All unaccompanied youth are considered homeless

When supporting the needs of a student experiencing homelessness, schools must eliminate any educational barrier that exists or arises

McKinney Vento is a state law that gives rights to students experiencing homelessness in schools

True or False?

The face of homelessness“Homeless people often don’t fit the stereotypes.

However, the segment of the homeless population that is most rapidly increasing does conform to many of society’s most offensive and simplistic conceptions about homelessness.

These homeless people do drink a lot, but it’s mostly milk and juice. They do exhibit strange behavior, but it is conduct most of us know as the ‘terrible twos.’”

From Bridging the Gap: Early Care and Education for Massachusetts Young Homeless Children

7

Why is McKinney –Vento important?Research on School Mobility

Students who switch schools suffer: • Psychologically• Socially• Academically

More likely to repeat grades, will have lower math/reading scores

Mobility hurts non-mobile students as well

On average, 4-6 months to recover academic progress each time a student changes schools.

• Expert panel report submitted in B.H. v. McDonald by Dr. Joy Rogers, Loyola University, Department of Education, 1991.

Stabilize the Child’s Basic Needs

• Physical Needs

• Emotional Needs

• Social Needs

How Schools Can Help Children Who Are Experiencing Homelessness

Stabilize the Child’s Basic Needs• Physical Needs• Emotional Needs• Social Needs

Build Relationships• School wide• Classroom• Recess• Family

Provide check-in’s• Two days• Two weeks• One month

How Schools Can Help Children Who Are Experiencing Homelessness

That said, here are things to think about : No pre-natal care/low birth weight means a 9 fold increase in

chance of death in first year or developmental delays 75% under 5 have one developmental delay, 44% have 2 or

more delays Physical health is compromised Environment is compromised Stress and Trauma, may be acute or chronic and can change

brain chemistry: PTSD Food Insecurity Mental Health including attachment may be affected Exposure to Violence Educational delays or missing pieces Juvenile Delinquency Attendance and Tardiness Fatigue Anxiety about safety (their own and their family)

Maslow’s School Hierarchy of Needs

Where and how do schools, classrooms, programs, tutoring, fit in?

What do our students need?

What do/can schools/programs do to help meet these needs?

How do we help students feel: Welcome, Wanted and Safe, in our schools?

Small Group Activity Move into groups of 6-8

In each group take time to brainstorm on chart paper ways to help new students feel Welcome, Wanted and Safe in your schools and classrooms.

Remember each students needs to feel • Welcome, Wanted, and Safe

What activities/procedures can help them integrate and understand the routines, expectations, and community

Be ready to share your ideas in the larger group

Processing the Mobility Shuffle

How did this make you feel? Did it effect your learning? Did you leave anything behind? why or why not? What did you become aware of? Did you find yourself anticipating anything? How did you cope? What did you notice about the reforming of

groups? What new thoughts do you have about mobile

students? What can we do to support mobile students and

families?

HE WHO IS TESTED GETS TAUGHT

GPRA Goals

Increase percentage of hcy included in state math and reading assessments

Increase percentage of hcy included and meeting or exceeding proficiency levels

Participation

2001-02 – first year achievement data was collected for subgrants

Year 2001-02 2003-04 2004-05

Number Tested

30,000 63,000 85,000

% Tested 50% 45% 55%

Approximate numbers; NCHE 2006 unpublished report

Percent Proficient

2001-02

2002-03

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

10-11 ALL

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

ReadingMathematics

HIGHLY QUALIFIED TO HIGHLY EFFECTIVE

NCLB to Race to the Top: Shift from

Most Memorable Teacher … Write a word or phrase to describe

your most memorable teacher:

Which of these qualities is closest to your response?

Used cooperative learning Gave great tests Maintained control of the classroom Had a major in mathematics Cared about me Made learning fun Pushed me to succeed

Qualities of Effective TeachersEFFECTIVE TEACHERS

Prerequisites

Organizing for Instruction

Classroom Management &

Instruction

Implementing Instruction

Monitoring Student

Progress & Potential

The Person

Job Responsibilities and Practices

Used with the Permission of Linda Hutchinson, Doctoral Student, The College of William and Mary

Background

What Teachers Do Makes a Difference

Successful Educational Strategies of Elementary Teachers of Homeless Students

Case study conducted 2013-2014 2 suburban elementary schools Teacher interviews Observations (Differentiated

Classroom Observation Scale) Artifacts

Instructional and Classroom Management Practices

Most used with homeless students compared to regularly housed students• Questioning by teachers• Student Responding• Technology Use – Teacher• Teacher interaction with individual student• Anchoring activity during lesson• Small group discussion• Lecture• Learning Centers

Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Planning Learning Groups Homework

Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Planning• Planning based on assessments• Planning using background knowledge

and differentiation• Planning backwards

Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Learning Groups• Allows for ability grouping• Increases confidence levels for students

in each learning group• Promotes collaborative learning

differentiation

Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Homework• Provide supplies for home• Complete assignments at school• Time extensions• Simplify/modify for success

Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Relationships Supports Needs

Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Relationships• Builds from the very beginning• Build trust• Welcomed and loved• Build home communication

Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Supports• Providing extra assistance• Monitoring/checking in more• Assist with social behaviors• Connections/support system

Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success

Needs• Awareness• Physical• Emotional

Implications for Practice

Teachers must be aware of various challenges that homeless children may deal with when applied to the educational setting.

Teachers must be aware of instruction and modifications to promote success.

Teachers must be aware of social supports available.

Teachers need to utilize strategies for success in the classroom to promote a positive learning experience.

A Planning Tool

Needs/ Enrollment Timing

Before At Arri-val

During After

Academic

Affective

Technical

What is your Day Like? Activity An opportunity to think about choices students make

everyday

What do the many different lives our students lives have in common?

How are they different?

Even within the differences they are handled and supported differently. (divorce vs homelessness)

What do we expect and assume about them?

How do we allow for participation without expectation (pictures, snacks, money, time, anxiety)

HOW DO WE FIT IN?

What does this have to do with us?

“THE QUALITY OF AN EDUCATION SYSTEM CANNOT EXCEED THE QUALITY OF ITS TEACHERS”

2007 McKinsey Report

Are highly effective teachers equitably distributed in

School districts Schools Classrooms/courses

Caution regarding QET studies tied to academic growth

Our Voice is Needed

Teacher (and principal) quality: recruitment, training, retention

Teacher (and principal) evaluation: tied to academic growth

Equity – courageous conversations

Other thoughts?

Commitment to advocacy at all levels

National and State Conversations Supporting effective local

practices

Levels of Support

Respecting content knowledge and pedagogy

Challenging the old adages, • “Those that can’t, teach.”• “I’m just a teacher.”

Challenging the status quo

Commitment to Advocacy

Revisiting our GPRA measures• Attendance• Discipline• Dropout • On-time Graduation

National and State Conversations

Race to the Top States ESEA Flexibility Waivers

• Priority and focus schools Rate of homelessness and student mobility? Is identification of homeless reasonable given

the poverty level? Have teachers been provided resources to

better reach our students? The challenging conversation: Equity:

comparing our teachers working with students in poverty to those in affluent communities

State and National Conversations

Teacher evaluation What are the standards for evaluating teachers in

your state? Which are highly related to qualities of effective

teachers for HHM students? What metrics are used to document student growth?

Value-added or student growth percentiles Student achievement goal setting Curriculum-based measures

What happens when teachers have large number of students that are not captured by the broadly-used assessment measures? What happens to those students?

State and National Conversations

Teacher recruitment and preservice training

Lesley University – new 3 credit foundations course, Child Homelessness: A Multidisciplinary Discourse (evolved from a 1-credit pilot)

Sharpe Scholars – William and Mary Embed in courses on: diversity,

assessment, classroom management, special education, collaboration, children’s literature, trauma

State and National Conversations

From Milwaukee, WI• Each principal is asked to identify a staff

person as the homeless contact in the building. To avoid inconsistency, we taped a media site presentation that is now mandatory. Each principal must show the video at a staff meeting in the fall and then sends Administrative Leadership a form that verifies the date it was shown. (A separate video is shown to secretaries with enrollment details.)

• Thanks to Catherine Klein!

Supporting Effective Local Practices

From Madison, WI We use our PBiS (Positive Behavior Support) staff to continue many "good

for all students" initiatives. Building communities, building safety and welcoming activities and making sure that students are ready to learn. Each of our schools has a PBS coach. … Once the PBS interventions are in place, the focus can come down to the individuals who need something more than what everyone gets. This is where many homeless children enter. The need for someone to check in with them and check out each day comes in handy. Even if it is to make sure they had a good day or that they have everything they need to go home with.

Our classrooms receive support from our PBS coaches daily through explicit teaching and shared school wide "cool tools." I come in when there is a student who is not responding to the overall support and a need for brainstorming beyond their own ideas is needed. I also work as a district wide consultant on after school connections, early childhood supports, professional development, community outreach, summer school, shelter contacts, and helping our homeless student find a way to share their voices (WWA project - meeting and writing a book to share in the community).

Thanks to Jani Koester

Supporting Effective Local Practices

From Roanoke, VA I am planning to offer trainings and presentations at faculty meetings

this fall to get the info to the teachers. I keep track of where all of our referrals come from and this past year, several of them came directly from the teachers who received info directly from the parent or student.

I also ensure each principal gets a list of all students who enrolled or were enrolled in their school who were living in transition. This has been a great source of communication.

For this upcoming school year, I am also working on the approval of a newsletter to be sent to principals updating our number of students and also any specific needs for our assisting our students, (i.e., school supplies, hygiene items, clothing, shoes and coats) and "thought provoking" information regarding some of the challenges our students and families face to give it more of a personal approach. The principal would be asked to email to the faculty in their building, so this will be another way of getting info to the teachers.

Thanks Malora Horn

Supporting Effective Local Practices

From Minneapolis, MN Building Bridges Project has been done here in

MPS for seven years with excellent results. This is an intensive professional development program for School Social Workers, who then work directly with the teachers at their school sites to support students. This past year we also instituted Classroom for Success, a software tool that provides dynamic access to academic student data with features that allow careful monitoring of students who are homeless to inform and guide instruction at the individual student level.

Thanks Zib Hinz

Supporting Effective Local Practices

From NC I have the homeless liaisons work directly with school social workers

(SSWs) each year to provide a mini training to staff. The training is usually a 10 - 20 minute presentation during the opening staff meeting. The SSWs discuss warning signs, provide a classroom tip sheet to staff, discuss the process for referring a student in the building and supports/services that are available. The SSW shows a power point and use something I provided to the liaison who is required to add local information. By providing the materials to the liaison, I am able to reduce the work for the liaison and the SSWs, reduce anxiety of anyone needing to prepare a presentation, and I am able to ensure information is accurate and consistent not just in the LEA but also across the state. I talk with liaisons about developing a training that includes 1 hr sessions each month after school for teachers (and others) that helps them learn about working with homeless students and those at risk. At the end of this training, the teachers receive CEU credit from their LEA (of course the liaison works with their professional development office prior to doing this as well). This is just another strategy to assist teachers to obtain at least 1 credit towards their licensure. Thanks Lisa Phillips

Supporting Effective Local Practices

“Making Choices” Activity

Everyday our families have to make choices about their lives. How to best support their children.

Some are students on their own trying to make ends meet.

Creativity and choices are a part of choices families and students experiencing homelessness make everyday.

Connecting Points to Reach Teachers

Recruitment, Preservice training, Induction and in-service training, Retention

Metaphors for Teaching Teacher Voices

Teaching students who are at-risk/highly-mobile is like …

… a Preventative for Alzheimer'sTeaching highly mobile students is a challenge that could one day prevent Alzheimer’s. By keeping the mind active and on the go. You have to be constantly aware and focused. And I’ve been told but I don’t know if it’s true or not that the active mind has less of a chance of developing Alzheimer’s than the mind that is not continually active.

-- Janice

…fostering (planting) a piece of seed. You must have a correct values like nutrition, correct view of knowledge like sunshine, correct methods like the farmers’ work.

-- Mei (China)

… a Roller Coaster RideThere are incredible highs and incredible lows, but eventually you reach your destination if you just hang on. If you don’t mind being on a roller coaster, it’s the thrill of a lifetime.

-- Tanya

“… nothing, absolutely nothing has happened

in education until it has happened to a student”

Joe Carroll, 1994

taff must remember that they cannot possibly meet all the needs of a homeless child,

………but doing something can make a huge difference.

SELF CAREBuild it into your practice

Sharing and Questions

Action Plan – Make something Happen

1 thing I want to remember from the training

2 things I want to share with others    3 things I want to implement in my classroom/school  

Date completed by: __________

Evaluations

While you are writing: Some words from students who have experienced homelessness in Madison Schools

Who We Are: Voices in our Community

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Helpful Websites & Resources http://www.unitedwaydanecounty.org/2-1-1.html

• United Way 2-1-1 from any land line• 24 hours, 365 days

http://www.naehcy.org/dl/faq.pdf • 101 Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.nlchp.org• National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

http://srvlive.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/reauthorization.pdf • McKinney Vento Summary & Legal Briefs

http://www.naehcy.org/ • National Assn. for Education of Homeless Children and Youth

2 Media clips for you to review at your leisure:Hard times generation: homeless kids - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Who We Are: Voices in Our Community – UW writing project with students experiencing homelessness in Madison WI

https://www.education.wisc.edu/soe/news-events/news/2014/05/08/greater-madison-writing-project-featured-on-big-ten-network-s-forward-motion

Contacts Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D. The College of William and

Mary Project HOPE-Virginia pxpopp@wm.edu 757-221-7777

www.wm.edu/hope Kim Pickles, EdD kpickles106@gmail.com Twitter @KOPickles

Madison Metropolitan School District

• Jani Koester, M.S.Ed. 608-204-2063 desk 608-444-8996 work cell jkoester@madison.k12.

wi.us

Face Book• Transition Education

Program MMSD or MMSD TEP

Website• https://stusvcweb.ma

dison.k12.wi.us/TEP