Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D. The College of William and Mary pxpopp@wm Jani Koester, M.S.Ed .

1. Moving From Access to Success: Exploring Strategies to Support the Academic Success of Homeless and Highly Mobile Students Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D. The College of William and Mary pxpopp@wm.edu JaniKoester, M.S.Ed. Kim Pickles, Ed.D. National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth October 25, 2014

2. McKinney-Vento Act Reauthorizes the Stewart B. McKinney Act, originally enacted in 1987 Provides states with funding to support local grants and statewide initiatives Requires educational access, attendance, and successfor homeless children and youth Outlines responsibilities for local liaisons

3. The Big Three Access Attendance Success

4. True or False? • Approximately 25% of homeless children living in shelters are under the age of 5 • Approximately 45% of homeless preschoolers have at least one major developmental delay • The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is single adult women • Building relationships is the best practice a school can develop when supporting students who are experiencing homelessness

5. True or False? • Before enrolling and starting a student who is homeless, it is best to gather all the records you can to ensure correct classroom placement, thus having them start school once you have all the information. • Many public school districts have someone in charge of school services for students experiencing homelessness • All unaccompanied youth are considered homeless • When supporting the needs of a student experiencing homelessness, schools must eliminate any educational barrier that exists or arises • McKinney Vento is a state law that gives rights to students experiencing homelessness in schools

6. The face of homelessness “Homeless people often don’t fit the stereotypes. However, the segment of the homeless population that is most rapidly increasing does conform to many of society’s most offensive and simplistic conceptions about homelessness. These homeless people do drink a lot, but it’s mostly milk and juice. They do exhibit strange behavior, but it is conduct most of us know as the ‘terrible twos.’” From Bridging the Gap: Early Care and Education for Massachusetts Young Homeless Children

7. Why is McKinney –Vento important?Research on School Mobility Students who switch schools suffer: Psychologically Socially Academically More likely to repeat grades, will have lower math/reading scores Mobility hurts non-mobile students as well On average, 4-6 months to recover academic progress each time a student changes schools. Expert panel report submitted in B.H. v. McDonald by Dr. Joy Rogers, Loyola University, Department of Education, 1991. 7

8. How Schools Can Help Children Who Are Experiencing Homelessness Stabilize the Child’s Basic Needs • Physical Needs • Emotional Needs • Social Needs

9. How Schools Can Help Children Who Are Experiencing Homelessness Stabilize the Child’s Basic Needs • Physical Needs • Emotional Needs • Social Needs Build Relationships • School wide • Classroom • Recess • Family Provide check-in’s • Two days • Two weeks • One month

10. That said, here are things to think about : No pre-natal care/low birth weight means a 9 fold increase in chance of death in first year or developmental delays 75% under 5 have one developmental delay, 44% have 2 or more delays Physical health is compromised Environment is compromised Stress and Trauma, may be acute or chronic and can change brain chemistry: PTSD Food Insecurity Mental Health including attachment may be affected Exposure to Violence Educational delays or missing pieces Juvenile Delinquency Attendance and Tardiness Fatigue Anxiety about safety (their own and their family)

11. Maslow’s School Hierarchy of Needs Where and how do schools, classrooms, programs, tutoring, fit in? What do our students need? What do/can schools/programs do to help meet these needs? How do we help students feel: Welcome, Wanted and Safe, in our schools?

13. Small Group Activity • Move into groups of 6-8 • In each group take time to brainstorm on chart paper ways to help new students feel Welcome, Wanted and Safe in your schools and classrooms. • Remember each students needs to feel • Welcome, Wanted, and Safe • What activities/procedures can help them integrate and understand the routines, expectations, and community • Be ready to share your ideas in the larger group

14. Processing the Mobility Shuffle How did this make you feel? Did it effect your learning? Did you leave anything behind? why or why not? What did you become aware of? Did you find yourself anticipating anything? How did you cope? What did you notice about the reforming of groups? What new thoughts do you have about mobile students? What can we do to support mobile students and families?

15. He who is tested gets taught

16. GPRA Goals Increase percentage of hcy included in state math and reading assessments Increase percentage of hcy included and meeting or exceeding proficiency levels

17. Participation Approximate numbers; NCHE 2006 unpublished report 2001-02 – first year achievement data was collected for subgrants

18. Percent Proficient

19. NCLB to Race to the Top: Shift from Highly qualified to highly effective

20. Most Memorable Teacher … Write a word or phrase to describe your most memorable teacher:

21. Which of these qualities is closest to your response? Used cooperative learning Gave great tests Maintained control of the classroom Had a major in mathematics Cared about me Made learning fun Pushed me to succeed

22. Qualities of Effective Teachers EFFECTIVE TEACHERS Background Job Responsibilities and Practices Prerequisites Classroom Management & Instruction Implementing Instruction The Person Organizing for Instruction Monitoring Student Progress & Potential Used with the Permission of Linda Hutchinson, Doctoral Student, The College of William and Mary

23. What Teachers Do Makes a Difference

24. Successful Educational Strategies of Elementary Teachers of Homeless Students Case study conducted 2013-2014 2 suburban elementary schools Teacher interviews Observations (Differentiated Classroom Observation Scale) Artifacts

25. Instructional and Classroom Management Practices • Most used with homeless students compared to regularly housed students • Questioning by teachers • Student Responding • Technology Use – Teacher • Teacher interaction with individual student • Anchoring activity during lesson • Small group discussion • Lecture • Learning Centers

26. Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success Planning Learning Groups Homework

27. Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Planning • Planning based on assessments • Planning using background knowledge and differentiation • Planning backwards

28. Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Learning Groups • Allows for ability grouping • Increases confidence levels for students in each learning group • Promotes collaborative learning differentiation

29. Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Homework • Provide supplies for home • Complete assignments at school • Time extensions • Simplify/modify for success

30. Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success Relationships Supports Needs

31. Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Relationships • Builds from the very beginning • Build trust • Welcomed and loved • Build home communication

32. Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Supports • Providing extra assistance • Monitoring/checking in more • Assist with social behaviors • Connections/support system

33. Non-Instructional Practices to Promote Academic Success • Needs • Awareness • Physical • Emotional

34. Implications for Practice Teachers must be aware of various challenges that homeless children may deal with when applied to the educational setting. Teachers must be aware of instruction and modifications to promote success. Teachers must be aware of social supports available. Teachers need to utilize strategies for success in the classroom to promote a positive learning experience.

35. A Planning Tool

36. What is your Day Like? Activity An opportunity to think about choices students make everyday What do the many different lives our students lives have in common? How are they different? Even within the differences they are handled and supported differently. (divorce vs homelessness) What do we expect and assume about them? How do we allow for participation without expectation (pictures, snacks, money, time, anxiety)

37. What does this have to do with us? How Do We fit in?

38. 2007 McKinsey Report “The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers”

39. Are highly effective teachers equitably distributed in School districts Schools Classrooms/courses Caution regarding QET studies tied to academic growth

40. Our Voice is Needed Teacher (and principal) quality: recruitment, training, retention Teacher (and principal) evaluation: tied to academic growth Equity – courageous conversations Other thoughts?

41. Levels of Support Commitment to advocacy at all levels National and State Conversations Supporting effective local practices

42. Commitment to Advocacy • Respecting content knowledge and pedagogy • Challenging the old adages, • “Those that can’t, teach.” • “I’m just a teacher.” • Challenging the status quo

43. National and State Conversations • Revisiting our GPRA measures • Attendance • Discipline • Dropout • On-time Graduation

44. State and National Conversations • Race to the Top States • ESEA Flexibility Waivers • Priority and focus schools • Rate of homelessness and student mobility? • Is identification of homeless reasonable given the poverty level? • Have teachers been provided resources to better reach our students? • The challenging conversation: Equity: comparing our teachers working with students in poverty to those in affluent communities

45. State and National Conversations • Teacher evaluation • What are the standards for evaluating teachers in your state? • Which are highly related to qualities of effective teachers for HHM students? • What metrics are used to document student growth? • Value-added or student growth percentiles • Student achievement goal setting • Curriculum-based measures • What happens when teachers have large number of students that are not captured by the broadly-used assessment measures? What happens to those students?

46. State and National Conversations Teacher recruitment and preservice training Lesley University – new 3 credit foundations course, Child Homelessness: A Multidisciplinary Discourse (evolved from a 1-credit pilot) Sharpe Scholars – William and Mary Embed in courses on: diversity, assessment, classroom management, special education, collaboration, children’s literature, trauma

47. Supporting Effective Local Practices • From Milwaukee, WI • Each principal is asked to identify a staff person as the homeless contact in the building. To avoid inconsistency, we taped a media site presentation that is now mandatory. Each principal must show the video at a staff meeting in the fall and then sends Administrative Leadership a form that verifies the date it was shown. (A separate video is shown to secretaries with enrollment details.) • Thanks to Catherine Klein!

48. Supporting Effective Local Practices From Madison, WI We use our PBiS (Positive Behavior Support) staff to continue many "good for all students" initiatives. Building communities, building safety and welcoming activities and making sure that students are ready to learn. Each of our schools has a PBS coach. … Once the PBS interventions are in place, the focus can come down to the individuals who need something more than what everyone gets. This is where many homeless children enter. The need for someone to check in with them and check out each day comes in handy. Even if it is to make sure they had a good day or that they have everything they need to go home with. Our classrooms receive support from our PBS coaches daily through explicit teaching and shared school wide "cool tools." I come in when there is a student who is not responding to the overall support and a need for brainstorming beyond their own ideas is needed. I also work as a district wide consultant on after school connections, early childhood supports, professional development, community outreach, summer school, shelter contacts, and helping our homeless student find a way to share their voices (WWA project - meeting and writing a book to share in the community). Thanks to Jani Koester

49. Supporting Effective Local Practices From Roanoke, VA I am planning to offer trainings and presentations at faculty meetings this fall to get the info to the teachers. I keep track of where all of our referrals come from and this past year, several of them came directly from the teachers who received info directly from the parent or student. I also ensure each principal gets a list of all students who enrolled or were enrolled in their school who were living in transition. This has been a great source of communication. For this upcoming school year, I am also working on the approval of a newsletter to be sent to principals updating our number of students and also any specific needs for our assisting our students, (i.e., school supplies, hygiene items, clothing, shoes and coats) and "thought provoking" information regarding some of the challenges our students and families face to give it more of a personal approach. The principal would be asked to email to the faculty in their building, so this will be another way of getting info to the teachers. Thanks Malora Horn

50. Supporting Effective Local Practices From Minneapolis, MN Building Bridges Project has been done here in MPS for seven years with excellent results. This is an intensive professional development program for School Social Workers, who then work directly with the teachers at their school sites to support students. This past year we also instituted Classroom for Success, a software tool that provides dynamic access to academic student data with features that allow careful monitoring of students who are homeless to inform and guide instruction at the individual student level. Thanks ZibHinz