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Understanding & Ameliorating the Impact of Child Homelessness on Educational Advancement

Learn about the impact of child homelessness on educational advancement and discover ways to ameliorate the challenges these children face. Explore the ForKids Education Pilot and its goals to close the achievement gap for homeless students.

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Understanding & Ameliorating the Impact of Child Homelessness on Educational Advancement

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  1. Understanding & Ameliorating the Impact of Child Homelessness on Educational Advancement Thaler McCormick, CEO, ForKids Joi Chisolm Thaxton, Director of Education, ForKids Dr. Elsie Harold Lans, Senior Director of the Department of Student Support Services, Norfolk Public Schools

  2. ForKids: Our Mission Breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children

  3. Service Area

  4. Our Model Housing, Education & Critical Services • Regional Call Center • Housing Solutions • Emergency Shelter • Supportive Housing • Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing • Adult & Children’s Education • Educational assessment, tutoring & school advocacy • GED & Life Skills • Critical Services • Intensive Case Management • Mental & physical healthcare

  5. ForKids Impact In Fiscal Year 2014: • We assisted over 1,155 people • 347 families w/ 709 children • 89%exited to appropriate housing • 90% of school aged children in the program at least 90 days were promoted to the next grade. From Nov. 2013- Oct. 2014 • We answered 18,680 calls from 8,131 callers • 10% were from Virginia Beach residents

  6. 25th Anniversary Commission Addressing the Link Between Affordable Housing & the Educational Advancement of Homeless Children in Hampton Roads

  7. “Homelessness begins as housing crisis and becomes and education crisis.”---The ForKids 25th Anniversary Commission Report

  8. Commission’s Focus Areas • Data Collection: establish a unified method to identify homeless and highly-mobile children; link school system date to HMIS data • Affordable Housing: develop recommendations to expand the supply of safe, affordable housing • Educational Advancement: identify best practices that achieve high school graduation for homeless and highly-mobile children

  9. Education of Homeless Children What are the challenges? • Constant migration (city-wide and regionally) • Stigma/fear of identification • “Normalization” • Transportation • McKinney-Vento (MV) Law

  10. Education of Homeless Children What do we know? “Achievement gaps related to homelessness residential instability emerge early and persist”

  11. Homeless Children in South Hampton Roads: Estimating the Costs to Society James V. Koch Old Dominion University

  12. Transportation Costs Associated w/ McKinney-Vento Students 2012-2013 * Virginia Beach includes funds expended for coordination and $50,000 in in-kind gifts and donations from the public

  13. Academic Performance of Norfolk Students based on Economic Status 2012-2013

  14. 24% higher failure rate In Virginia Beach 15 days less school

  15. Achievement Gap *Combined graduation rates for Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, &Virginia Beach. **Students identified as homeless/economically disadvantaged at least once in 9th - 12th grade. Source: Virginia Dept. of Education, Virginia Cohort Reports, Class of 2013

  16. Achievement Gap: SOLs Data from Project HOPE: In 2012-2013: How did homeless kids do in Virginia? Reading: 32-39% lower (high school 11%) Math: 31-49% lower

  17. Dr. Koch’s Conclusions: • Each homeless child costs our community approximately $20,000 per year* • Total cost of child homelessness for SHR annually: $30 million • “It would be less expensive for society to provide permanent housing for homeless families than to bear the high cost of homelessness and its long-term effects.” *considering healthcare, social services, education, administration and transportation, penal system and lost income due to graduate rates.

  18. Education Research Themes • Dearth of Programs Targeted to Homeless Students with Results • Collaboration Between School Districts and Nonprofit Service Providers Essential • Best Lessons Available Come from Research and Work with Poor and At-Risk Students • Reading proficiency by 3rd grade • Prevention of summer learning loss • Out-of-School Time (OST) programs • Holistic approaches

  19. The ForKidsEducation Pilot Project

  20. ForKids Educational Pilot • Hybrid of Charlotte Model and FK “Hot Meals & Homework” • Hot Meals and Homework plus Remediation • 2 elementary schools in Norfolk Public Schools • Outreach Family Case Manager, Licensed Educator & Part-time Education Assistant in each school

  21. ForKids Educational Pilot Goals: • Connect families with community services • Address immediate needs of children (uniforms, school supplies, etc.) • Assess MV student educational needs • Provide remedial assistance • Close achievement gap for MV students • Track and monitor progress of MV students

  22. ForKids Educational Pilot Structure • Outreach Family Case Manager (FT) • Connects parents to community services; shelter/housing; arranges transportation • Licensed Educator (FT) • Tracks grades, attendance, assessments, discipline, and behavior • Develops Academic Plans and creates lessons • Collaborates w/teachers & advocate for students • Part-time Education Assistant • Assist only in afterschool tutoring • Dinner/Supper Program

  23. Things We had to Figure Out… Fast Barriers/How We Work Through Them • Faculty Buy-In • Security, Background checks • Space • Technology • Food • Assessments • Transportation • Consistent Identification

  24. Continued Challenges • Data Releases • Grades • Attendance • Behavior • Discipline • Assessments • Transportation • Continued student migration

  25. Norfolk Public Schools Total Student Population 32,000+ Economically disadvantaged 71% 33 Elementary Schools 8 Middle Schools 5 High Schools

  26. Norfolk Public Schools – Scope of MV Problem *also counted in doubled up

  27. Norfolk Public Schools –Associated Costs • Transportation - $25,000 for cabs (split w. cities) - $4,000 in bus tokens • Backpacks/Supplies - $50,000 • University Tutors Inc. -$25,500 • Summer Reading Books- $17,000 • Green STEM Camp - $5,000

  28. Norfolk Public Schools –Community & Internal Support • Partners • Shelters, City, Schools, Faith Based, Stores, Project Hope etc. • Supply Drives • Coats, Holiday Gifts, Food etc. • Training for Staff • Annual McKinney Vento Training for Enrollment Staff • Supplemental Training from Project Hope

  29. Public Private Partnership Keys to Success • Senior-level support (superintendent) • Seed Funding! • Faculty buy-in • All the players around the table • (technology, data, HR, principals, servicers, etc.)

  30. Timeline Pilot Initial Funding (40%): 6/10/14 Balance of Funding: 6/12/14 1st Mtg w/ Norfolk Public Schools: 6/26/14 1st School Identified: 7/7/14 Mtg with Principal: 7/10/14 2nd School Identified: 8/12/14 Staff start at School #1 8/25/14 Staff start at school #2 9/2/14

  31. Lessons Learned What Matters: • Being in the schools • Identifying homeless kids consistently • Remediation by skilled educators based on assessments • HOUSING

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