Copy
Back to School Tools; Federal Budget Update; Webinar Series
View this email in your browser
Volume 8, Issue 1 - August 8, 2017
Welcome to SchoolHouse Connection.  In this issue:
Back to School ESSA Tools: Extra-Curricular Activities
Research shows that participation in activity programs increases high school graduation and later success in life, particularly for disadvantaged students. Yet homelessness creates significant barriers to participation in athletics and other extra-curricular activities. Fortunately, the ESSA amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act include new policies to remove barriers to participation in extra-curricular activities. 

We’ve got some new tools to help implement these requirements, including a brief with examples of helpful policies, and an editable template for school districts to use to provide athletic directors and associations with determinations of a youth’s homeless status (or foster care status). Other ESSA training tools, including a template Powerpoint presentation, may be found on our preK-12 page. And don’t forget all the great resources on the National Center for Homeless Education’s website, as well as Patricia Julianelle’s training DVDs.
Federal Policy Update: FY2018 Budget and Homelessness
On July 19, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed a bill (H.R. 3358) providing $77 million for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program and $119 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program – the same levels as FY2017. To help ensure at least this funding level, we ask readers to take two actions:
  1. Meet with, and/or send a letter to, your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative in support of increased funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s EHCY program and RHYA in the FY2018 budget. We’ve created a sample letter in Microsoft Word. Download the letter, edit it, and send one version to your U.S. Representative, and one version to both of your U.S. Senators. The more that your message is personalized, the more weight and consideration it will receive!
  2. Submit an online message to your Members of Congress asking them to prioritize children in the federal budget, and oppose any efforts to cut funding for children’s programs. SchoolHouse Connection is a proud member of the Children’s Budget Coalition, and urges you to use the convenient online template to send an individual, personalized message to your elected officials. 
New SHC Webinar Series and Virtual "Office Hours"
We are pleased to kick off our new webinar series with five back-to-school offerings in August and September, including: A Back-to-School Review of McKinney-Vento and ESSA; Strategies to Award Partial Credits, Recover Credits, and Award High School Diplomas for Students Experiencing Homelessness; Identifying Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness; New Requirements and Best Practices on Title I and Homelessness; and a Federal Policy Update on Child, Youth, and Family Homelessness. To learn more about the topics and the presenters, see our Upcoming Webinars page


In addition, SchoolHouse Connection will provide informal, open Q&A time through our “office hours,” every Wednesday at 1:00pm Eastern. Please note that our office hours are not planned presentations or webinars; rather, they are open forums for anyone to call in with questions about the law or implementation. SHC staff, along with guest state and school district practitioners, will host and facilitate these online sessions. Please see our Office Hours page for a schedule of topics, hosts, and registration links.
New Questions and Answers from Our InBox
It may be early August, but already we’ve noticed an uptick in great questions from schools and communities; in fact, we just posted our 50th question and answer! This week’s questions include the interaction between McKinney-Vento’s new preschool provisions and disseminating public notice of educational rights; domestic violence, transitional housing, and best interest decisions; the intersection of HUD programs and eligibility for McKinney-Vento educational protections; best practices for re-establishing the eligibility of McKinney-Vento families at the end and beginning of school years; enrollment without giving a physical address to a school; how McKinney-Vento enrollment requirements apply to charter schools; and the requirements of charter schools to set aside funds for homeless students under Title I Part A. Read the Questions and Answers.
SHC in the News: 30th Anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Act; Education Week OpEd on ESSA; Washington Post
In case you missed it: July 22 was the 30th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Act. SHC’s Barbara Duffield and Liz Cohen from the Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness wrote a policy perspective reflecting on the progress made and the challenges that remain. In addition, Education Week recently featured a joint OpEd from Barbara Duffield and John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises and a former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, urging States to prioritize students experiencing homelessness in their ESSA state plans and implementation. Finally, SHC appeared in an article in the Washington Post on college students experiencing homelessness.
#MoreThanHomeless: A Guest Perspective on Person-First Language
“You walk into an office and are asked for your name and address. You reply that you don’t have an address. The secretary looks confused and says, ‘You must have an address. Where do you sleep?’ You cringe and restate that you do not have an address. The secretary fumbles through some papers, lets out a strained breath, and finally looks up to state: ‘We need an address in order to move forward.’” This week’s guest perspective from Jordyn Roark, a BSW candidate at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, reminds us of the purpose and power of person-first language. Read more.
Stay Up to Date: Like Us on Facebook!
From policy to practice, research to resources, the best way to stay up-to-date in between SHC newsletters is to like our Facebook page
SchoolHouse Connection is a national non-profit organization promoting success for children and youth experiencing homelessness, from birth through higher education. Learn about us.
Copyright © 2017 SchoolHouse Connection, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list