The Beam Monthly News Articles:
December 2010
The Christmas episode of Glee which aired Tuesday, December 7, 2010, showed the Glee Club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio collecting funds to provide gifts to students participating in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program. A Grinch-y cheerleading coach tried to quash the joy and spirit of the students as they worked to improve the lives of others.
 Watch what happens and learn more about how you can help homeless students this holiday season.
If you have not completed the conference evaluation, time is running out! The deadline is December 19, 2010. We look forward to your feedback. Webmaster Christina Dukes is continuing to post speaker presentations and updated materials from the 22nd Annual Conference in Houston. Thanks to Christina and to all those who have contributed their time and expertise to this highly successful professional development venture!
Information about the 23rd Annual Conference, to be held November 5-8, 2011 in Pittsburgh, will be available in February.
Oregon Removes Another Barrier To Academic Success
This year, the Oregon Departments of Education and Community Colleges and Workforce Development advocated for changes to a new National GED Testing Service requirement, which required students to show a state-issued identification. This ID rule was creating a barrier for homeless unaccompanied youth and delaying homeless students' ability to take that test.
Read more here.
National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day
On December 21 each year, we honor those of our neighbors who have died homeless in the past year. Communities are encouraged to conduct public events to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by those who are homeless as they struggle to survive. This day is co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless, National Consumer Advisory Board, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
Learn more at the National Coalition for the Homeless web site.
Legislative Briefs
On December 8, 2010, The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) passed the House 216-198. It awaits a vote in the Senate. The DREAM Act has the potential to provide 360,000 undocumented high school graduates with improved access to higher education and a legal means to join the U.S. workforce. Furthermore, the DREAM Act could provide over 700,000 children between the ages of 5-17 with the hope of a promising future through education.
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was signed by President Obama on December 13, 2010. This legislation reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, provides an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years to federal child nutrition programs, including school lunch; and promises to improve the quality of school breakfasts, lunches and other foods sold in schools while also strengthening nutrition programs that serve young children. NAEHCY will provide a summary of this legislation specific to homeless liaisons, state coordinators, and others working to ensure that homeless children, youth, and families have access to adequate nutrition.
Read more here.
This I Believe...
Vicky Dill is a Senior Program Coordinator in the Texas Homeless Education Office at the University of Texas at Austin. This statement of beliefs originated from a concurrent session entitled Data Mind and Passionate Heart presented at the 22nd Annual Conference with other passionate professionals in homeless education. Many thanks to Vicky for sharing this reflection with us!
“I believe life teaches us lessons that help us find our passion, even though at the moment, we might not know what we are being taught. My This I Believe is based on some autobiographical reminiscences over a period of about 40 years because, mysteriously to me, my life has come full circle...
From 1973 through the late 1990s, my husband and I moved far and near some 19 times. We lived in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Kansas, and Texas. I made friends and left friends. I made friends and grieved friends so often that, at some point, I decided not to make friends anymore.”
Read more here.
NAEHCY Awards Excellence in Homeless Education
NAEHCY’s Annual Awards honor excellence in homeless education services and programming around the country. These awards have become an important mechanism by which the homeless education community recognizes its members who have made outstanding contributions to the field and to supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Read about this year’s winners and their inspiring work.
November 2010
Congratulations on the biggest NAEHCY Conference to date! If you were in attendance in Houston, we thank you for bringing your energy and your enthusiasm for knowledge that will help you better serve homeless children, youth, and families. Don't forget to complete the conference evaluation. We look forward to your feedback. If you were unable to join us, we hope to see you next year in Pittsburgh: November 5-8, 2011. For everyone, we have posted (and are continuing to post) speaker presentations that we hope will be useful to you in the work you do.
Click here for links to the evaluation form and presenter materials.
New Step-by-Step Guide and Webinar for Including Youth in PIT Counts
The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released a new tool in October, Counting Homeless Youth, to provide step-by-step suggestions for including homeless youth in the January 2011 point-in-time (PIT) counts. In addition to this document, organizers are producing a webinar series with presenters Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and Nan Roman, President and CEO of the Alliance.
Read more about this great opportunity and access NAEH resources.
LeTendre 2010: Unexpected Outcomes
NAEHCY is happy to announce the Class of 2010 LeTendre Scholars! Sixteen "Top Scholars" were selected from a large pool of applicants who had high academic achievement and submitted essays about their experiences of homelessness. Those scholars joined us at the 22nd Annual NAEHCY Conference in Houston on November 7, 2010.
Read more about these courageous and inspiring students.
Tell us what you think!
Take the NAEHCY Member Survey through December 15, 2010!! It is posted on NAEHCY’s home page and will link to a survey monkey site. We are gathering information about the challenges you face in your schools, communities, and agencies so we can determine ways to serve you better and develop resources to meet these needs. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, and questions address the many roles our members fill. Thank you for your input!
Research Focus: Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in Chicago
Ann Aviles de Bradley, PhD, shares insights gained from her qualitative study of homeless unaccompanied youth in Chicago Public Schools. This article highlights the experiences of one student who was interviewed for Dr. Bradley's dissertation and contains lessons for all of us who work with children and youth in our nation's cities, counties, and schools.
Read more here.
Share Your Day-In-The-Life Stories
Quickly: define what you do in 10 words or less! How about 30 words? Hard to do, right? You enroll homeless children and youth, you educate your colleagues, you locate and pool resources, make connections and create opportunities in your community. NAEHCY would like to expand our public awareness efforts to include what a typical day is like as a homeless education liaison or allied advocate working with homeless children, youth, and families in public schools.
Read more about submitting pieces to this collection, and read Day-in-the-Life examples that have been written and published in past issues of The BEAM.
NAEHCY's Year-End Reflections
It's been quite a year, which opened with one of the whitest winters on record, recorded devastating earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, brought new partners and colleagues into our spheres, and saw dramatic changes in the makeup of Congress. NAEHCY’s presence has been a constant through all of these events.
Read a summary of what we accomplished (so far) this year.
October 2010
November 15 Deadline: Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and Federal Financial Aid
The U.S. Department of Education has invited public comment on its draft of the 2011-2012 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). NAEHCY urges you to read more about the barriers that unaccompanied homeless youth face in accessing federal financial aid, and learn how you can submit comments to improve next year's FAFSA.
Learn more, including suggested implementation strategies.
November 18 Deadline: HUD Homeless Continuum of Care Funding and Education Collaboration
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced 2010 funding for the Homeless Assistance Programs that it administers. There are several new education-related requirements, including collaboration with school districts and early childhood programs.
Learn more, including suggested implementation strategies. Please share with your local Continuum of Care.
NAEHCY's First Members Only Technical Assistance Call
NAEHCY hosted its first members-only technical assistance call on September 30, 2010 on the topic of FERPA and homelessness, which had 55 people registered in advance. We were pleased to bring our members together to participate in advocacy discussion and professional development and look forward to more such calls in the future. Have an idea or a need for a call on a particular topic? Contact Patricia Julianelle to offer suggestions.
September 2010
FERPA Guidance – For Members Only!
NAEHCY presents a technical assistance document on applying FERPA protections to homeless students and families and ensuring their safety.
The link to this document was provided through the monthly email to NAEHCY members.
Not a member yet? Need to renew? We'd like you to join us....
NAEHCY Conference Countdown!
The NAEHCY Annual Conference is less than two months away. Check out the conference web site to learn what the conference committee has rounded up for you!
- Concurrent Session descriptions for sessions offered November 7-9 are now posted as a PDF file. The final schedule will be available in October. See the list of sessions that will be presented at this unique professional development event, the only national conference dedicated to the education of children and youth in homeless situations.
- This year’s Service Project will benefit four homeless shelters that collaborate with public schools and local homeless education liaisons in the Houston area. Find out how to participate in this year's project.
- What to do, where to stay, how to get around in Houston? The Conference Travel page has been updated with overflow hotel, airport, ground transport details, as well as a list of fabulous sites to see and other insider tips. Since Houston is at least a little warmer and drier than most parts of the country in November, many of these sites are outdoors.
- Space is filling up! Have you registered yet for the NAEHCY Annual Conference? Take advantage of the early bird, full conference (November 7-9) rate of $475 – through October 1.
- Be sure to reserve your hotel room soon. We have blocked space in several nearby hotels since the block at the Houston Intercontinental is full. The full conference registration rate includes conference materials, continuing education credits, some meals, and top-notch training and networking opportunities. The registration rate for preconference sessions is $155.
- The conference web site includes all the information you need. In addition to the resources named above, you will find the tentative agenda for the conference, preconference descriptions, and a link to registration.
More Deadlines Are Approaching: September 17
NAEHCY’s Annual Awards honor the commitment, innovation, and best practices of liaisons and community partners working in the field to support children, youth, and families who are experiencing homelessness. To make a nomination in a variety of categories or learn more about the awards, visit this page and download the packet. Requirements include a nomination letter, a letter of support and other materials. You can be inspired by reading about past winners at the same page. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. PST on September 17.
The LeTendre Education Fund provides monetary awards, mentoring, and networking to students who have experienced homelessness and who have achieved academic success. If you have worked with a potential LeTendre scholar, give them the application today, so they have time to prepare. Requirements include an essay of at least 500 words, at least one letter of recommendation, and a transcript, in addition to a completed application. LeTendre scholars are honored each year in a reception at the annual conference. Past attendees have described this event as the grand highlight of the conference, “making real and true the work we do every day.” Learn more about this scholarship fund. Deadline to submit applications for the 2010 award is 5 p.m. EST September 17, 2010.
Help Make NAEHCY a Great Nonprofit
NAEHCY is honored to report its recent nomination for Top Rated Nonprofit status on GreatNonprofits.org. To help NAEHCY earn this highest level of recognition, we need you to voice your support for our work on GreatNonprofits’ “The Power of Education” campaign web site by sharing personal stories about your experiences through NAEHCY. If we reach a certain level of support during the month of September, we will be listed as a top-rated nonprofit!
Read more and find the link to comment on NAEHCY.
Share Your Day-In-The-Life Stories
Quickly: define what you do in 10 words or less! How about 30 words? Hard to do, right? You enroll homeless children and youth, you educate your colleagues, you locate and pool resources, make connections and create opportunities in your community. NAEHCY would like to expand our public awareness efforts to include what a typical day is like as a homeless education liaison or allied advocate working with homeless children, youth, and families in public schools.
Read more about submitting pieces to this collection, and read Day-in-the-Life examples that have been written and published in past issues of The BEAM.
Empowering Youth to Create Community Solutions
A new publication produced by the Youth, Education & Families (YEF) Institute of the National League of Cities with support from the Surdna Foundation provides a step-by-step guide for local leaders who want to create meaningful opportunities for youth participation in local government. This resource for municipal officials is enriched by best practice examples from communities with robust youth civic engagement initiatives and complemented by a broad array of tools and resources to help cities and towns engage young people in local policy, planning and decision-making.
This guide is the product of a year-long process in which the YEF Institute gathered and synthesized the knowledge and expertise of more than 300 youth development experts, academics, municipal leaders, community organization partners and young adult and youth leaders from across the nation through a series of focus groups, surveys and interviews conducted in 2008-09.
 Download the guide.
School Breakfast Programs Pave the Day
This news roundup provided by Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) shows how several school districts are providing breakfast to more students based on evidence showing increased student academic performance and stamina.
Read more about these school programs and find links to additional school nutrition resources.
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