Extra-curricular school activities, such as sports, music, theater, debate, and clubs, are often a key to engaging children and youth in school. They can provide students with a sense of belonging, stability, pride, and responsibility and strengthen a student's applications for higher education admission and scholarships. Homelessness, however, can create barriers to participation in extra-curricular activities. Homeless students who change schools during the school year may not meet residency requirements related to sports or may enter school in the middle of the season. The McKinney-Vento Act provides legal rights and support to help ensure that students experiencing homelessness can participate fully in extra-curricular school activities. This brief is designed to help local homeless education liaisons and school district administrators ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness can overcome the barriers they often encounter to full extra-curricular participation. (Contains 7 footnotes.).

Adjusting to U.S. culture can take immigrants 10-20 years. Even those who are well-educated and hold professional credentials usually experience an initial drop in their status and earnings while they improve their English skills, re-take courses, and pass licensing exams needed to practice in this country. Those with less education may struggle to find employment sufficient to meet their families' basic needs. These economic challenges make immigrant families more likely to experience poverty and homelessness. Many immigrant children experiencing high mobility and poverty may be eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. These services can help create a safe and welcoming environment for immigrant students and their parents who are experiencing homelessness. The McKinney-Vento Act promotes school stability by allowing eligible students to remain in the same school (school of origin) despite frequent moves. The Act requires each district to appoint a local homeless education liaison, who will examine each child or youth's situation on a case-by-case basis to determine eligibility. Strong collaborative relationships with Title III programs and community agencies enable liaisons to secure the most appropriate services for immigrant children and families, thereby enhancing their adjustment to the community. Local homeless education liaisons can increase opportunities for and the quality of parental participation in school activities for homeless immigrant parents by providing interpreters, explaining the school's expectations, and arranging transportation for school meetings. (Contains 5 resources and 3 endnotes.).

The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education and the National Center for Homeless Education present this guide to help educators and child welfare advocates clear the path to school success for children and youth who are forced to leave their homes due to abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction. Two federal laws, among others, provide tools to clear the way: The McKinney-Vento Act and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act. This guide provides basic information about both laws and suggests practical strategies for their implementation. The lives of three young people provide the context to show how child welfare and education staff can ensure school stability, attendance, and full participation for children and youth in out-of-home care. (Contains 23 footnotes.).

"Students with disabilities experiencing homelessness are a growing and vulnerable population in the United States (Bassuk et al., 2014). They have a myriad of unique and complex needs, many of which teachers are ill prepared to meet. In this study, the researcher conducted a case study (Yin, 2014), set within the context of Ecological Systems Theory (EST; Bronfenbrenner, 1979), to investigate existing school and district level supports for teachers of students with disabilities experiencing homelessness, and teachers' and other school personnel's perceptions of those supports. The researcher interviewed six school and district level personnel, and analyzed several school and district level documents and web resources regarding homeless education to triangulate the data. Data were coded at three levels, the first two employing deductive logic and a priori codes based on the EST theoretical framework (Level I) and extant literature (Level II; Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2006). The third level of analysis was conducted using an inductive process, during which codes emerged from the data (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2007). Results from Level I coding indicated microsystem supports (to students and families) were provided most frequently, followed by exosystem supports (to teachers and other school professionals). Level II coding revealed teachers and other school professionals have drastically different perceptions of the absence or presence of teacher supports. Furthermore, the roles of teachers and other school professionals are concentrated on providing supports to students and families far more frequently than providing them to teachers. Level III analysis resulted in four overarching themes: homeless education norms, perceptions of the experience of homelessness, assumptions about teacher awareness and supports, and culture of support. While other school professionals often worked together formally and informally, they rarely involved teachers in their teams, but reported they provide adequate teacher support. The special educator's perceptions indicated a lack of knowledge and support as well as a desire to improve both. Although the majority of participants held a deficit perspective of students with and without disabilities experiencing homelessness, overall they conveyed the importance of establishing a culture of support for those students and their families. Implications for future research include an investigation of the descriptive (the way things are done) and injunctive (the way things ought to be done) norms (Cialdini et al., 1990) within schools and districts. Specifically, the siloed nature of homeless education appears to be an emerging descriptive norm, when existing research supports homeless education ought to be carried out in a coordinated, team-based manner (i.e., injunctive). Professionals from other systems must be included in future research, as the norms from various systems can result in further contradictions. Similarly, additional investigations of rural homeless education are warranted to further unveil norms that impact the education of rural students with disabilities experiencing homelessness. Finally, considerations for practice include overhauling professional development to include teacher leadership and coaching as valid and sustainable options for improving the supports for teachers of students with and without disabilities experiencing homelessness."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

Some vols. include supplemental journals of "such proceedings of the sessions, as, during the time they were depending, were ordered to be kept secret, and respecting which the injunction of secrecy was afterwards taken off by the order of the House".

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