Educational achievement of students can be affected negatively by their changing schools often. The recent economic downturn, with foreclosures and homelessness, may be increasing student mobility. To inform the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked: (1) What are the numbers and characteristics of students who change schools, and what are the reasons students change schools?; (2) What is known about the effects of mobility on student outcomes, including academic achievement, behavior, and other outcomes?; (3) What challenges does student mobility present for schools in meeting the educational needs of students who change schools?; and, (4) What key federal programs are schools using to address the needs of mobile students? This December 2010 publication provides the results of the GAO's analysis of federal survey data, interview with U.S. Department of Education officials, site visits to eight schools in six school districts, and review of federal laws and existing research.
Visit the webpage.
Date added: 12/20/10

This video series from the Idaho State Department of Education covers important homeless education topics, including: Definitions and Eligibility; Enrollment; School of Origin and Transportation; Identification and Notices; Liaison Responsibilities; Dispute Resolution; Collaboration with Community Agencies; and Title IA Requirements. The videos were created as training tools for local liaisons, district staff, and school staff.
View the training videos.
Date added: 12/17/10

This toolkit from Corporate Voices for Working Families is designed to help community-based organizations recruit, engage, and develop ongoing relationships with businesses in their community. The toolkit focuses on the following core areas:

• Identifying business leaders who will support your efforts
• Educating business leaders about the needs in the community
• Persuading business leaders to become involved
• Activating business leaders in your efforts
  View the toolkit.
  View the companion website.
  Date added: 12/16/10

This December 13, 2010 webinar, geared towards both the homeless education and higher education communities, will provide important information about FAFSA provisions allowing unaccompanied homeless youth to apply for federal financial aid for college as independent students. Topics include:

• A brief primer on the McKinney-Vento Act and unaccompanied homeless youth
• Determining independent student status for unaccompanied homeless youth filling out the FAFSA
• Building community collaboration to support unaccompanied homeless college students
  View the recorded webinar.

This February 2010 report from the Education Law Center explains the preschool-related provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act and suggests best practices and policy changes for improving the access of young homeless children to public preschools in the United States.
Download the report.
Date added: 12/02/10

Attending school and securing lawful status in the United States are two keys to safety and security for undocumented unaccompanied homeless youth. This brief, co-authored by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) and Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), is designed for young people, immigration attorneys and advocates, McKinney-Vento liaisons, and other educators. It provides information about federal laws that provide the means for undocumented unaccompanied youth who are homeless to attend school and address their immigration status.
Download the brief.
Date added: 11/30/10

This updated brief, released in November 2010 by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), provides a basic explanation of what a Point-in-Time (PIT) count is. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that communities receiving federal funds from the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program conduct a point-in-time count at least every other year.
Download the brief.
Date added: 11/15/10

This guide, published in October 2010 by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), provides specific recommendations for how best to include unaccompanied homeless youth in the local Point in Time (PIT) counts that will be conducted in January 2011. It includes strategies on how to involve key stakeholders in the PIT count planning process, indicates locations where homeless youth may be found, and details ways to facilitate data collection, among other key action steps.
Download the guide.
Date added: 11/15/10

These tip sheets from the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) provide key strategies for both parents and teachers to walk into conferences informed and prepared. A tip sheet aimed at school principals also outlines how school administrators can support parents and teachers to that end. Designed to be used as a set, these tip sheets combine consistent information with targeted suggestions so that parents and educators enter conferences with shared expectations and increased ability to work together to improve children's educational outcomes.
Download the tip sheets in English.
Download the tip sheets in Spanish/en español.
Date added: 11/02/10

This report from the The New York City Commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Runaway and Homeless Youth examines the complex needs of LGBTQ youth and promotes a coordinated agenda in meeting these needs. The report suggests recommendations and strategies with actionable steps to promote best practices, foster a culture of respect and acceptance, and address the underlying causes of homelessness among LGBTQ youth.
Download the report.
Date added: 10/27/10

This webpage from the Safe Schools Coalition provides various informational resources and practical tools for serving LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness or in out-of-home care.
Visit the webpage.
Date added: 10/27/10

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) pulls together representatives from various federal agencies to address the issue of homelessness in the United States. USICH's September 2010 e-newsletter focuses on federal efforts to prevent and end family homelessness, including collaborative efforts involving local homeless education liaisons.
View USICH's September 2010 newsletter, Preventing and Ending Family Homelessness
Download USICH's Inventory of Federal Programs That May Assist Homeless Families with Children
Date added: 10/07/10

While researchers have examined the collateral impact of foreclosure on surrounding properties and neighborhoods, this report from The Furman Center is a rare look at how children may be impacted by the foreclosure crisis. The report presents findings from the first phase of a two-part analysis of how foreclosures affect children. It estimates the number of public school students in all grades (K-12) whose families live in properties that entered foreclosure in New York City during the 2003-04 and 2006-07 school years, and finds that this issue is widespread and growing, impacting 1 in 50 public school students in 2006-07. The report also compares the social and demographic characteristics of these students, and their schools, to those of other students.
Download the report.
Date added: 10/05/10

This California laws requires state universities and community colleges to give priority for student housing to current and former foster youth, including for housing facilities that are open for year-round occupation.
View the law.
Date posted: 10/04/10