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Membership is open to anyone with an interest in homeless education. Learn more. Washington, DC Oct. 31-Nov 3, 2008 Learn more about the 2008 NAEHCY Annual Conference. [ What's New? Archives ] Present at NAEHCY's 2008 Annual Conference Nominate a colleague for a 2008 NAEHCY Annual Award
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![]() Reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
This reauthorization primer from NAEHCY and NLCHP provides background information on homelessness and the educational challenges faced by homeless students, explains provisions in the current No Child Left Behind Act that relate to homeless students, and provides recommendations for strengthening the provisions of the Act related to homeless students' educational needs during the upcoming reauthorization process. Last update: July 30, 2007 BACKGROUND: On July 27, 2007, Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-13th/IL) was joined by Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-7th/AZ) and Congressman John P. Sarbanes (D-3rd/MD) in introducing the Homeless Education Improvement Act, H.R. 3205. H.R. 3205 builds upon effective law and lessons learned by schools, service providers, families, and youth. It includes many of the recommendations for amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act and Title I, Part A that came out of focus groups organized by NAEHCY and NLCHP. ACTION NEEDED: Please call or write your U.S. Representative and urge him or her to join as co-sponsor of H.R. 3205. The more co-sponsors the legislation gathers, the greater the likelihood that its provisions will be incorporated into the larger No Child Left Behind reauthorization legislation this Fall. Contact information for U.S. Representatives may be found at www.house.gov Increases School Stability: The high rates of residential mobility of homeless students disrupt learning and create significant obstacles to academic achievement. H.R. 3205 addresses the impact of mobility by amending Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to: Enhances School Support: The designation of a liaison for homeless students in every school district is among the most successful features of the McKinney-Vento program. Liaisons coordinate school district efforts to support homeless students through identification, enrollment, coordinating services inside the school and with the community, staff training, and other activities. H.R. 3205 amends Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to: Addresses the Needs of Unique Subpopulations: Certain sub-populations of homeless students - in particular, young children and unaccompanied youth - face special challenges in accessing educational services. H.R. 3205 amends Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to: Doubles the Authorized Funding Level for the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program: Last year, public schools identified and enrolled 907,228 homeless children and youth, grades K-12. This represents an increase of 38% from the previous year. Forty-three out of fifty states reported increases in the number of homeless children identified and enrolled. Yet only half of these students were enrolled in school districts that receive McKinney-Vento funding. H.R. 3205 amends the Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to: Improves Opportunities for Academic Success: Homeless students face unique barriers to participating in the full range of academic support opportunities offered by schools, including those provided through Title I, Part A. H.R. 3205 increases opportunities for academic success by amending Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to: The Inclusion of Children in Foster Care: H.R. 3205 is a first step in laying the foundation for McKinney-Vento and Title I, Part A provisions in the forthcoming No Child Left Behind Act reauthorization. It uses the lessons learned and best practices of liaisons and State Coordinators to make improvements to the core requirements of McKinney-Vento Act and Title I, Part A, which will increase the school enrollment, attendance, and success of all McKinney-Vento eligible children. The next step is to expand eligibility to include all children in foster care while increasing program capacity and developing procedures for the smooth and effective implementation of this expansion of eligibility. NAEHCY has advocated for this position and expects it to be addressed in legislation to be introduced in September. |
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