Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Background
On Wednesday, May 12, 2010, U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-13th/IL) introduced the "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2010," H.R. 5285. Congresswoman Biggert was joined by Congressman Dale Kildee (D-5th/MI), Congressman Todd Platts (R-19th/PA), Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-11th/OH), and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7th/PA) as original co-sponsors of the legislation.

H.R. 5285 amends the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, as well as Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and other related titles of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). H.R. 5285 is nearly identical to legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate in November, S. 2800.
Download a detailed summary of H.R. 5285, and S. 2800.

Overview
H.R. 5285, the "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2010":

• Promotes school stability for homeless children and youth by improving the "best interest" school selection process, increasing the authorized funding level to help assist with the costs of transportation to the school of origin, and by making transportation to the school of origin an eligible use of Title I Part A setaside funds
• Increases school districts' ability to identify and serve homeless children and youth by providing professional development, training, resources, and time to school district homeless liaisons so they can carry out the duties required by the Act
• Increases homeless children's access to early childhood education programs by addressing barriers to stability and requiring public preschool programs to identify and prioritize homeless children for enrollment
• Improves the academic progress and high school graduation rate of unaccompanied homeless youth by addressing guardianship barriers, credit accrual problems and access to credit recovery opportunities
• Improves homeless children and youth's access to summer school, before and after school programs, and other educational opportunities
• Assists homeless students to participate in the full range of academic support opportunities offered by schools by clarifying that the amount of the Title I, Part A homeless setaside must be based upon a needs assessment that includes objective criteria and is developed in coordination with the school district homeless liaison
• Improves educational access and stability for children and youth who become homeless as a result of disasters by creating an Emergency Disaster Grant that would allow supplemental McKinney-Vento funds to reach school districts quickly after a disaster.

Action Needed

1. Contact your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 5285. Contact information for U.S. Representatives may be found at http://www.house.gov.
   Download an alert and sample letter.
   
2. Distribute this alert and urge your colleagues and community partners to contact their U.S. Representative.

For More Information
Please contact Barbara Duffield at bduffield@naehcy.org or (202) 364-7392.

Background
On Thursday, April 29th, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will hold a hearing on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Witnesses include Denise Ross, school district homeless liaison for Prince George's County Public School District, and Kayla VanDyke, a student from Minnesota who experienced homelessness and is currently in foster care.

View testimonies and a streaming video of the hearing.

Background
In November, US Senators Patty Murray and Al Franken introduced the "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2009," S. 2800, and the "Fostering Success in Education Act of 2009," S. 2801. In January, US Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) signed on as co-sponsors of these bills.

The "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2009," S. 2800, amends the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and other related titles of the ESEA. S. 2800 makes a strong law even stronger by reinforcing and expanding its key provisions, including school stability, enrollment, and support for academic achievement. S. 2800 also expands authorized funding to meet transportation needs. A brief summary of the legislation is available here. A more detailed, section-by-section analysis of the bill is available here.

The "Fostering Success in Education Act of 2009," S. 2801, establishes a new education program to ensure that all children and youth in foster care have school stability, immediate school access, and support for academic success. S. 2801 encourages collaboration across education and child welfare agencies to cover the cost of transportation to enable foster youth to continue in their school of origin when it is in their best interest, with ultimate responsibility for the cost of transportation on child welfare agencies when necessary. S. 2801 requires school districts to collaborate with child welfare agencies to facilitate transportation in a cost-effective manner. A summary of the legislation is available here. NAEHCY's position paper on the education of children and youth in foster care is available here.

Action Needed

1. Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 2800 (homeless bill) and S. 2801 (foster bill); encourage friends and colleagues to contact their U.S. Senators, as well.
   Visit http://www.senate.gov for U.S. Senator contact information.
   Download a sample letter to a Senator.
2. Distribute NAEHCY's Homeless and Foster Education Bill alert.
   Download the alert.

For More Information
Please contact Barbara Duffield at bduffield@naehcy.org or (202) 364-7392.