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BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILY- SCHOOL COLLABORATION MODEL: WORKING WITH VULNERABLE HOMELESS STUDENTS

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILY- SCHOOL COLLABORATION MODEL: WORKING WITH VULNERABLE HOMELESS STUDENTS. VICTORIA COFIELD-ABER, LCSW-C JOANNA DURHAM, LCSW-C TANEKA HAMOND,LCSW-C . NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH NOVEMBER 7, 2011. OBJECTIVES.

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BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILY- SCHOOL COLLABORATION MODEL: WORKING WITH VULNERABLE HOMELESS STUDENTS

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  1. BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILY- SCHOOL COLLABORATION MODEL: WORKING WITH VULNERABLE HOMELESS STUDENTS VICTORIA COFIELD-ABER, LCSW-C JOANNA DURHAM, LCSW-C TANEKA HAMOND,LCSW-C NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH NOVEMBER 7, 2011

  2. OBJECTIVES By the end of this session participants will be able to: Identify student engagement for youth experiencing homelessness. Compare and contrast levels of student-parent engagement in the educational program. Apply techniques to build and sustain engagement strategies.

  3. AWARENESS ACTIVITY Awareness of diversity among individuals experiencing homelessness. Answer questions independently. Share answers with your group.

  4. MYTH OR FACT ACTIVITY Families of color are over represented in the homeless population nationally. 42% of children experiencing homelessness are under age six. Homelessness is a largely urban phenomenon. As the recession continues to grow, working and middle-class Americans have been forced into shelters, motel rooms, and tents.

  5. BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS • 23rd largest school system in the U.S. • 3rd largest district in Maryland • 108,600 Students • 17,000 Employees • 8,200 Teachers

  6. SOME THINGS TO PONDER What differences do you see in communicating with families experiencing homelessness and those who are not? What are the reasons for the differences? What are the challenges?

  7. UNDERSTANDING • McKinney Vento Act • Free lunch • Free school supplies • Continue at same school if transportation feasible • Attend special programs and after school activities • Receive needed services as all other students

  8. ASSESSMENT

  9. NEEDS ASSESSMENT Answers Questions Who are the stakeholders? What are the expectations? Why are the findings important?

  10. EXAMPLES OF NEEDS ASSESSMENT Focus Groups Key Informant Interviews Mailed Surveys Phone Surveys In-Person Surveys

  11. STRENGTHS RATHER THAN DEFICITS

  12. STRENGTHS-BASED ASSESSMENT This bank of questions can be especially useful when families feel pressured or embarrassed by their life challenges. Choose questions carefully and keep the wording simple.

  13. ECOLOGICAL MODEL Students

  14. COMPARE AND CONTRASTENGAGEMENT

  15. CARING, COMMUNICATING, COLLABORATING

  16. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUP

  17. PARENT EDUCATION IN HOMELESS SHELTERS Group sessions provide information in four areas: • Academic • Social • Behavioral • Emotional Goal for parent sessions: • To improve relationships between parents and school to support students learning

  18. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUPPARENT EDUCATION SESSION ONE: FAMILY ORIENTATION

  19. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUPPARENT EDUCATION SESSION TWO: MAINTAINING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

  20. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUPPARENT EDUCATION SESSION THREE: DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS

  21. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUPPARENT EDUCATION SESSION FOUR: COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES

  22. HOME-SCHOOL COLLABORATION GROUPPARENT EDUCATION SESSION FIVE: TIME MANAGEMENT

  23. Home-School Collaboration Group Parent Education Survey

  24. OUTCOMES Dictionaries Book drive Read aloud

  25. PROCESS FOR STUDENTS IN TRANSITION • Establish a contact person for students in transition. • Coordinate services needed for families. • Contact appropriate staff and agencies as needed.

  26. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Meet monthly with school administrators for consultation. Give recommendations, implement and review plans.

  27. SCHOOL STAFF Facilitate yearly staff development Continue ongoing communication with contact person. Provide information on services available to highly mobile student population.

  28. SHELTER STAFF Meet bi-monthly for consultation and updates on families. Plan programs and schedule activities Give recommendations, implement and review plans.

  29. SHELTER STAFF SPEAKS

  30. READ ALOUD

  31. LITERACY DRIVE IN HOMELESS SHELTERS Thematic topics • Living your dreams • Love and resilience • Achievement • Go green • 270 parents and children participated. • Survey showed parents and children were motivated to read more often.

  32. Read Aloud Survey • Read Aloud Evaluation Tool • 1. The book was easy to understand. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree • 2. I would like to do this again. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree • 3. I would like more time for this activity. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree • 4. I would like less time to complete this activity. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree • 5. I enjoyed the reading activity. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree • 6. The activity makes me want to read more. • Strongly Agree Agree Somewhat Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

  33. WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS Read Alouds can increase receptive vocabulary (Senechal & Camell, 1993). Read Alouds and discussion of the text assist with discovery of word meaning . Discussions with peers and teachers are found to enhance knowledge. Read Alouds improve students vocabulary and comprehension (Adams, 1990). Read Alouds help to improve abstract thinking, story structure, organization, and predictions.

  34. THINKING AND LEARNING Highly dependent on mood and emotional state (Jensen, 2008). Interaction of cognition and emotion important for educators to understand. Educators must engage students mind, body, and emotions (Jensen, 2008).

  35. EMOTIONS, THINKING, LEARNING Foster positive emotional climate Cognitive beliefs shape self-concept Positive emotions enhance higher order thinking Soft music shown to create relaxation and mental alertness (Hardiman, 2003).

  36. READING COMPREHENSION Peer led literature discussion groups contribute to reading engagement and motivation Construct meaning through discussion during reading Ability to think metacognitively about comprehension processes (Bearn and Clark, 2008)

  37. HOW CAN YOU USE THIS INFORMATION? What will you take with you? Faces of homelessness change each year. Caring, Communication, and Collaboration

  38. DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS & ANSWERS

  39. REFERENCES America’s youngest outcast: state report card on child homelessness. Newton, MA: Author National center of Family Homelessness, 2009. Bearne, J. & Clark, K. (2008). Focusing literature discussion groups on comprehension strategies. The Reading Teacher, 62(1), 74-79. Constable, R. (2006). School Social Work: Practice, Policy, and Research.

  40. REFERENCES Hardiman, M. (2003). Connecting brain research with effective teaching: The brain based teaching model. Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-based learning: The new paradigm of teaching. Jozefowicz-Simbeni, D and Israel, Nathaniel (2006) Services to Homeless StudentsandFamilies. Children and Schools,28,35-43.

  41. REFERENCES Music For Relaxation, VOL. 4 (1992). Decca Record Company Limited, London. National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, website, The Economic Crisis Hits www.familyhomelessness.org

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