Moving from Compliance to Quality Building a Strong Foundation for Your McKinney-Vento Program Diana Bowman Beth Garriss Hardy, PhD Jan Moore National Center for Homeless Education

Big Picture Thinking List of activities Every activity is just as important as any other – difficult to distinguish level of importance Short-term focus Success is measured by whether the activity is completed, not whether this is the best activity Programmatic approach A limited set of goals is derived from needs; long- term planning Activities not related to goals are eliminated – prioritization – better use of time and resources Success is measured by whether the goal is reached and need is addressed

Clear links between needs, goals, objectives, activities, outcomes, and resources Helps prioritize your work and make the work manageable Enables you to plan & be strategic over time Provides a rationale and logic for describing your work to others (such as those who can provide resources) Enables you to define and show progress Why a programmatic approach?

Fundamentals of Program Thinking Using data Conducting a needs assessment Creating collaboratives Setting goals Prioritizing activities Measuring progress

Utilizing Data Overview of CSPR How the data can help –Free and reduced lunch –Homeless –Urban Institute stats Tracking the barriers –Record issues as they arise –Determine how to address

Table Discussion 1.What do the numbers in your district tell you? a.Are your numbers changing? b.Are you seeing trends? c.What barriers do you still face? d.What resources are available? 2.How are you using the data?

The local homeless liaison in the Overbrook School District noticed that the district data showed that: Many more homeless children were identified in elementary schools than high schools Homeless high school youth performed far below other students and dropped out at a higher rate Attendance among homeless high school-aged youth was much more sporadic than that of non-homeless students What Overbrook discovered…

Conducting a Needs Assessment – Why? Ensures that decisions are based on data Creates a cross-program view of the needs of homeless children and youth Helps identify gaps between needs and services Reinforces collective responsibility Creates a foundation for collaboration Provides a basis for the Title IA homeless set aside amount

Getting Started Create a needs assessment committee Establish meeting schedule Make the case with program administrators for the importance of data-based decision making

A Sample Tool NCHE’s Needs Assessment Worksheet – LEA Guiding Questions: –Awareness –Policies/Procedures –Identification/Enrollment/Access –Student Success –Collaboration  Internal  External –Resources/Capacity

Make it yours Sample Needs Assessment Worksheet Choose the questions most suitable for your situation Adopt or adapt according to your needs Adjust level of specificity of questions – depth might vary according to current status of program Be strategic. Collect all the data but only the data you need

Needs Assessment Summary Score sheet to accompany worksheets Current status? Biggest challenges? What’s missing? What’s next?

What They Learned: School staff and teachers were not aware of homeless youth or how to identify them Schools were reluctant to enroll homeless unaccompanied youth Few housing options for homeless youth – most couch surfed and some went to a youth shelter in the next district; many who were attending school “disappeared” Overbrook’s needs assessment identified homeless unaccompanied youth as one area of significant need

Many homeless unaccompanied youth struggled to meet basic needs; many were arrested for illegal activities, such as stealing Title I services were focused only on elementary schools A civic organization operated a small mentoring program for youth in the community More on what Overbrook learned from the needs assessment …

Overbrook decided for the next year to focus on the needs of unaccompanied youth as a critical need. Is this a wise decision? Choosing a focus

Richmond (VA) School District’s Approach Most Significant Finding in the Needs Assessment 35% of documented homeless children & youth were between the ages of 0–5 years. Goal All preschool homeless children enroll in and attend preschool programs. Desired Outcome Increase in # of homeless preschool children receiving early intervention.

Program Activities Development of district policy for homeless children School/shelter/community in-service & staff development (Head Start, principals, DSS, etc.) Data collection – Comprehensive intake forms Transportation – Bus tickets (GRTC grant) and inter- district transportation collaboration Infant/toddler program Collaboration with Head Start/Early Head Start Tutoring program in all shelters Parenting program

Outcomes impacted several areas … Increase in # of parents/guardians and unaccompanied youth who are informed of their rights and educational opportunities. Increase in # of parents and unaccompanied youth who will make the best interest decisions regarding school enrollment and educational stability. Increase in # of collaborative efforts with federal programs, LEA staff, and community based service providers to assist in the identification, documentation, and provision of services for homeless children and youth and their families.

Outcomes (cont.) Increase in # of homeless students demonstrating academic progress and taking state assessments. Increase in # of homeless students experiencing stability in school and having regular attendance. Increase in # of homeless preschool children identified as homeless by LEA and community based agencies enrolled and attending a SEA, LEA public preschool, private daycare, and have access to developmental assessments. One focused activity can have multiple impacts.

What’s Next? Generate an Action Plan 1.Bring people to the table 2.Establish goals with measurable objectives 3.Prioritize the work 4.Determine who will carry out the plan a.Clarify roles and responsibilities 5.Decide how you will measure success

School - social workers, teachers, principals, enrollment staff School district – Title I coordinator, truancy officers, transportation director Community – service providers, DSS, law enforcement Others? Who should be involved in planning for the Overbrook program?

1.Where are we now? 2.Where do we want to go? 3.How will we get there? 4.How will we know we are there? 5.How can we keep it going? Edie L. Holcomb, Asking the Right Questions: Tools for Collaboration and School Change 5 Critical Questions for Collaborative Planning

Should derive from needs assessment Should be limited in number Should have measurable objectives Should be ambitious but realistic Standards and Indicators for Quality McKinney- Vento Programs would be a useful tool. What goals would you recommend for Overbrook? Develop Goals

All homeless students, including homeless unaccompanied youth, are identified and enrolled in school. All homeless students, including homeless unaccompanied youth, will experience stability in school. All homeless unaccompanied youth will have their basic needs met through community collaborations. Goals Overbrook Selected

1.Number of homeless youth identified and enrolled in school will increase by 25 % 2.The attendance rate for homeless youth will improve by 25 % 3.All identified homeless youth will receive services for basic needs – food, clothing, housing Measurable Objectives

How to Prioritize the Work What are the most critical areas that need to be addressed? Which activities will have the greatest impact? What activities can I do that will provide a foundation for impact? Which activities need to be done now and which should come later?

Should be concrete Should be doable Should relate directly to the goals (those that do not should be put on the back burner) What activities would you recommend for each goal? What activities would enable the objectives to be accomplished to meet the goals?

But, I am only one person! Making the work manageable

Manage your Time Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Effective People Where should you spend your time?

Benefits of Working in Q2 Expand capacity –Partnerships and collaborations Build the infrastructure –Increase awareness –Develop policies and procedures Pre-empt crises –Anticipate problems

What can you do to create a more programmatic approach to serving homeless children and youth? What can you build on? What barriers do you face? How can these barriers be addressed?

Get to Know NCHE… NCHE is the U.S. Department of Education’s homeless education technical assistance and information center NCHE has –A comprehensive website: –A toll-free helpline: Call or –A listserv: to –Free resources (including The Local Liaison Toolkit) Visit NCHE is housed with NCHEP at the SERVE Center at UNCG

Contact Information Diana Bowman National Center for Homeless Education Toll-free Helpline