Phillip Lovell, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, All4Ed Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs, NAEHCY Patricia Julianelle, Director of State Project and Legal Affairs, NAEHCY 1

About NAEHCY About NAEHCY 2 National membership association dedicated to educational excellence for children and youth experiencing homelessness, from early care through higher education. Through state and federal policy and technical assistance, we change systems so all children and youth can learn, succeed academically, and achieve their dreams.

About the Alliance for Excellent Education 3 Washington-DC based policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring all students graduate from high school ready for success in college, career, and citizenship. The Alliance works to encourage the development and implementation of federal policies that support effective high school reform and increased student achievement and attainment.

House-Keeping: Asking Questions 4 We’ll only be taking written questions via the Chat box. Type questions into the Chat box at any time during the presentation. Be sure to send your question “To All” (public). We will either respond by typing a message in the Chat box, or will answer your question over the phone when we break for questions.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Current Status “The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015,” S. 1177, passed the U.S. Senate on July 16 by a vote of The “Student Success Act,” H.R. 5, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 8 by a vote of A House-Senate Conference committee must work out the differences between the two bills; both chambers must pass the reconciled bill before it can move to the President’s desk 5

ESEA Big Picture: Similarities 6

ESEA Big Picture: Differences 7

8 ESEA Big Picture: Summary PolicySenateHouse Common Core State Standards Requires state-set standards to be aligned with entrance requirements for the state’s system of public higher education Requires state-set standards AssessmentsAuthorizes funding Supports state and local assessment audits Requires state-set limit on time spent on assessments Eliminates targeted funding for assessments Allows funds from block grant to support assessments Supports assessments audits

9 ESEA Big Picture: Summary PolicySenateHouse AccountabilityRemoves accountability requirements for low- performing schools and student subgroups Requires goal setting and use of multiple measures in accountability system Prohibits federal involvement in state accountability policy, including approving goals Removes accountability requirements for low- performing schools and student subgroups Prohibits federal involvement in state accountability policy

10 ESEA Big Picture: Summary PolicySenateHouse Title I Portability Not permittedPermitted Opt-outNot permittedPermitted Effective Teaching / Professional Development Allows funds to be used to support teacher evaluation; not required Provides flexible funding for professional development Allows funds to be used to support teacher evaluation; not required Provides flexible funding for professional development

ESEA Deep Dive: Accountability 11

McKinney-Vento Amendments that are Identical/Similar in BOTH Bills (1) State coordinators must be able to sufficiently carry out duties State coordinators must annually publish updated list of liaisons on SEA website Clarifies that homeless children and youth must be enrolled in school immediately, even if the student has missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness 12

McKinney-Vento Amendments that are Identical/Similar in BOTH Bills (2) Enhanced school stability: presumption that staying in the school of origin is in the student’s best interest, unless individual determination of best interest factors shows otherwise School of origin definition is amended to include feeder schools 13

McKinney-Vento Amendments that are Identical/Similar in BOTH Bills (3) Requires local liaisons to ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth:  are enrolled in school;  have opportunities to meet State academic achievement standards, including through the McKinney-Vento Act’s credit accrual provisions; and  are informed of their status as independent students for financial aid and may obtain assistance to receive verification for the FAFSA. 14

McKinney-Vento Amendments that are Identical/Similar in BOTH Bills (4) Added emphasis on identification throughout the law Schools must treat information about a homeless child or youth’s living situation as a student education record, and may not release this information to persons not authorized under FERPA 15

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – McKinney-Vento (1) State coordinators must monitor LEAs Local liaisons must have sufficient time and training to carry out duties As determined appropriate by State Coordinator, local liaisons must participate in professional development and technical assistance 16

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – McKinney-Vento (2) Requires SEAs and LEAs to develop, review, and revise policies to remove barriers to the identification, enrollment, and retention of homeless students in school, including barriers related to fees, fines, absences, and credit accrual policies 17

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – McKinney-Vento (3) States must have procedures to ensure that homeless children and youth: are able to receive appropriate credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed while attending a prior school have access to magnet school, summer school, career and technical education, advanced placement, online learning, and charter school programs, if such programs are available at the State or local levels 18

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – McKinney-Vento (4) SEAs and LEAs must adopt policies and practices to promote school success, including access to full participation in academic and extra-curricular activities that are made available to non-homeless students. 19

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – Title I (1) Requires the State Title I plan to describe how the SEA will comply with the McKinney-Vento Act Authorizes the amount of Title I set-aside to be determined based on a needs assessment, and to be used for services not ordinarily provided by Title I, including local liaisons and transportation to the school of origin Clarifies that the Title I set-aside is for all schools in an LEA (not just non-participating) 20

Amendments on Homelessness in the Senate Bill Only – Title I (2) Under current law, States put out State report cards on achievement, including specific subgroups S maintains this, and adds homeless and foster children and youth to state assessments and to graduation rate disaggregation 21

Senate Bill Only: Foster Care – State Title I Plans (3) State Title I Plans must describe the steps the SEA will take to ensure collaboration with the State child welfare agency to improve the educational stability of children or youth in foster care including assurances that: 1. Foster youth are enrolled or remains in their school of origin, unless a determination is made that it is not in their best interest; 22

Senate Bill Only: Foster Care – State Title I Plans (4) 2. The determination must be based on best interest factors, including consideration of the appropriateness of the current educational setting, and the proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement 3. When a determination is made that it is not in the best interest to remain in the school of origin, the child must be immediately enrolled in a new school 23

Senate Bill Only: Foster Care – State Title I Plans (5) The SEA designates a point of contact for the state child welfare agency, who will oversee implementation of the SEA responsibilities The SEA point of contact may not be the same person as the state coordinator for homeless children and youth under the McKinney- Vento Act 24

Senate Bill Only: Foster Care – Local Title I Plans (6) Within one year of enactment, LEAs must develop and implement plans for the transportation of foster youth to their school of origin, when in their best interest LEAs are required to provide transportation to the school of origin only if they are reimbursed by the child welfare agency, or if they agree to provide it 25

Senate Bill Only: Foster Care – Local Title I Plans (7) LEAs must designate a point of contact if the corresponding child welfare agencies notifies the LEA, in writing, that it has designated a point of contact for the LEA 26

Senate Bill Only: Awaiting Foster Care Placement in the McKinney-Vento Act Within one year of enactment, “awaiting foster care placement” is deleted from the definition of homelessness in the McKinney- Vento Act 27

Authorize Funding Levels in House and Senate Bills Senate Bill: Authorizes “such sums as may be necessary” for FY2016-FY2021 House Bill: Lowers the McKinney-Vento authorized funding level to $65 million for each of the fiscal years from 2016 to

What Happens Next? The ultimate fate and timing of ESEA depends on a number of factors:  Ability of the Conferees to produce a compromise bill that can pass both chambers  New House Speaker and internal House Republican dynamics  Perceived political gain to both sides of “getting something done” before the election  Congressional calendar 29

Resources from the Alliance Resources from the Alliance 30 For more information on the Alliance’s specific policy recommendations for ESEA reauthorization, please visit: To sign up to receive the Alliance’s Federal Flash updates, us at:

Resources from NAEHCY Resources from NAEHCY 31 For more information on NAEHCY’s specific policy recommendations: policy/legislative-updates To sign up to receive NAEHCY’s legislative s, ge/sign-up ge/sign-up

Questions? 32

Stay in Touch with Us! Phillip Lovell, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, All4Ed Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs Patricia Julianelle, Director of State Projects and Legal Affairs 33