In a recent interview with City Lab, Barbara Duffield, the director of policy and programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, discussed her belief that ESSA can help improve homeless student’s learning experiences. ESSA creates new provisions so that...
The National Association of State Boards of Education released their August Policy Update Series on strategies that states can use to “address the challenges and educational inequalities facing some of the most disenfranchised, at-risk student populations in the country.” NASBE’s series details five “at-risk populations”...
ESSA amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act, which addresses the required needs of homeless students, will take effect October 1, 2016. ESSA seeks to offer homeless children “protections, services, aid, and support from their state and local education agencies.” The Dept. of Education also issued three...
The Dept. of Education issued federal guidelines today for states and school districts to better serve homeless students. According to ABC News, “the guidelines include prioritizing the identification of homeless students, including designating and training a ‘school liaison’ within each district to help provide students...
The Brookings Institution has published a report addressing ESSA’s “wraparound services” – programs designed to boost low-income student performance by “developing or securing and coordinating supports that target academic and non-academic barriers to achievement.” Under ESSA, the ability to address barriers to low-income and other...
According to a new Brookings Institution report, the impact of ESSA on low-income students is still unknown. The Dept. of Education has not released official guidelines on how states should track student subgroups, including those from low-income families. Traditionally, states have measured this by the...
Provisions in ESSA will strengthen data collection to make homeless students more visible, reports The Atlantic. States and local school districts “will be required to disaggregate the graduation rates of homeless students for the first time in history.” According to the article, more than 1.3...
According to NPR, ESSA “includes both new mandates and some extra money to assist districts in helping homeless students.” The law allocates a 20-percent funding increase for services to homeless students, and strengthens reporting mandates to track academic progress. Because the new reporting requirements involve...
Think Progress reports that homeless students will greatly benefit from two major provisions within ESSA. First, school counselors are now required to advise homeless students on college application and preparedness. Second, school liaisons are now required to aid in navigating financial aid, and help obtain...
State Dept. of Education hosted two more of its ESSA topic meetings which focused on foster care and homeless youth, as well as Title I schools. The state Dept. of Ed will hold regional meetings from August to October to lay out ESSA requirements and...
