EDUCATION FOR ALL: FOSTERING ACADEMIC SUCCESS AMONG HOMELESS YOUTH TIFFANY HOLLIS DOCTORAL STUDENT--URBAN EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE, NC CHARLOTTE, NC Presentation for T2T Conference ◊ October 13, 2015 ◊ Charlotte, NC

Presentation Overview… McKinney--Vento... Brief Overview of McKinney—Vento Rationale Research Questions Homelessness Defined Barriers to Education What Can Educators Do? Scenarios/Activities CARE Model Framework/Rationale Future Research

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act (2002) Federal Law Reauthorized 2002 by NCLB Main themes:  School stability  School access  Support for academic success  Child-centered, best-interest-based decision making  Prohibition against segregating students from their permanently housed peers. Protects the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness

 Under McKinney-Vento, students experiencing homelessness can stay in their school of origin or enroll in any local public school that students living in the same area are eligible to attend.  If MV-protected students decide to attend the school of origin, they are also entitled to transportation to that school.

Who is covered under McKinney-Vento? All students who lack a night-time residence that is:  FIXED,  REGULAR, AND  ADEQUATE If living arrangement does not meet all three criteria, it is considered a homeless situation.

What does this all mean? Fixed A fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change. Regular A regular residence is one which is used on a predictable or routine basis. Adequate An adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments.

Rationale…

Research Question(s) How can teachers and service providers foster academic success among vulnerable youth (focus is on homeless and highly mobile students for the purpose of the study)? What are the key factors that promote academic success among students whose demographic characteristics and school circumstances place them at high risk of failure?

Homelessness defined…  Children or youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:  Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (“doubling up”)  Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations  Living in emergency or transitional shelters

Homelessness Defined (cont.)  Awaiting foster care placement  Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live  Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or a similar setting  Migratory children living in the above circumstances  Unaccompanied youth living in the above circumstances * unaccompanied youth-- According to the McKinney-Vento Act, an unaccompanied homeless student is a child or youth “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian”

Barriers to Education  Lack of stable housing (affects access to bathing facilities, laundry facilities, etc.)  Lack of a parent or guardian (support, guidance, signing, etc.)  Lack of school records and other paperwork  Emotional crisis / Mental health issues  Employment: Many are self-supporting and have to balance school and work

Barriers to Education (cont.)  Lack of transportation  Lack of school supplies, clothing  Fatigue, poor health, hunger (difficulty meeting basic needs)—Maslow’s hierarchy of needs  Credit accrual policies, attendance policies  Concerns about being apprehended by authorities

What I learned today… Applying what I learned today… SCENARIOS

What Can Educators Do? Students don’t CARE how much you know until they know how much you CARE… How can I help make the invisible students visible and overcome obstacles to be successful? Will You Answer Their Call?

CARE Model Framework C--Caring relationships A--Academic Environment (positive school climate) R—Resilience Education E—Expectations of teachers

These interventions impact the level of resiliency and improve academic success among homeless and highly mobile students (can be generalized for other vulnerable populations to impact resiliency and improve academic success among other vulnerable populations…success). se CARE Model Rationale

Future Research  Create a systematic resilience framework that can be generalized to all vulnerable populations of students and across diverse fields. (Similar to what I am crafting with proposed CARE model)  Break each vulnerable population down into subgroups and examine resiliency from each perspective in order to get an accurate portrayal of how characteristics of each subgroup respond to risk and protective factors.

Future Research  Examine academic resilience in an effort to develop specific interventions that are tailored to promote positive development and close achievement gaps, while decreasing the dropout rate.  Analyze the interconnectedness of risk, resiliency, and relationships.

Faces of homelessness…

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS Contact Info: Tiffany Hollis (980)