Transcript Slide 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
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ForKids: Our Mission
Breaking the
cycle of
homelessness
and poverty
for families
and children
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Service Area
3
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
4
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
5
th
25
Anniversary Commission
Addressing the Link Between
Affordable Housing & the Educational Advancement
of Homeless Children in Hampton Roads
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“Homelessness begins as
housing crisis and becomes
and education crisis.”
---The ForKids 25th Anniversary
Commission Report
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Commission’s Focus Areas
1.
Data Collection: establish a unified method to
identify homeless and highly-mobile children;
link school system date to HMIS data
2.
Affordable Housing: develop recommendations to
expand the supply of safe, affordable housing
3.
Educational Advancement: identify best
practices that achieve high school graduation
for homeless and highly-mobile children
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Education of Homeless Children
What are the challenges?

Constant migration (city-wide
and regionally)

Stigma/fear of identification

“Normalization”

Transportation

McKinney-Vento (MV) Law
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Education of Homeless Children
What do we know?
“Achievement gaps related to
homelessness residential instability
emerge early and persist”
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Homeless Children in South
Hampton Roads: Estimating
the Costs to Society
James V. Koch
Old Dominion University
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Transportation Costs Associated w/
McKinney-Vento Students 2012-2013
City
Chesapeake
Norfolk
Portsmouth
Suffolk
Virginia Beach*
Total
Costs
$252,113
$280,000
$247,035
$135,000
$458,138
$1,372,286
* Virginia Beach includes funds expended for coordination and
$50,000 in in-kind gifts and donations from the public
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Academic Performance of Norfolk Students
based on Economic Status 2012-2013
Ave. Attendance
Ave. GPA
Ave. SOL Exams
Passed
Ave.
Suspensions/Yr
Homeless
Low
Socioeconomic
High
Socioeconomic
87.9%
1.98
41.7%
92.8%
2.27
54.8%
95.1%
2.86
73.7%
1.18
.79
.13
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In Virginia Beach
Attendance (Avg days)
SOL Performance
Homeless
Students
Lower Income,
Housed
136.3
151.1
Homeless
Lower Income,
Students
Housed
Failed
22.1% Failed 17.8%
all
all
15 days less school
24% higher failure rate
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Achievement Gap
100%
95%
90%
85%
80%
75%
2013 On-Time Graduation Rates - SHR*
All Students
86.7
Economically
Disadvantaged
Students**
79.0%
Homeless
Students**
72.8%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
*Combined graduation rates for Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, &Virginia Beach.
**Students identified as homeless/economically disadvantaged at least once
in 9th - 12th
15
grade.
Source: Virginia Dept. of Education, Virginia Cohort Reports, Class of 2013
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
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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 longterm effects.”
*considering healthcare, social services, education,
administration and transportation, penal system and
lost income due to graduate rates.
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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
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The ForKids
Education
Pilot Project
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Continued Challenges

Data Releases
 Grades
 Attendance
 Behavior
 Discipline
 Assessments

Transportation

Continued student migration
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Norfolk Public Schools
Total Student Population
32,000+
Economically
disadvantaged
71%
33 Elementary Schools
8 Middle Schools
5 High Schools
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Norfolk Public Schools –
Scope of MV Problem
2012-2013
2013-2014 2014-2015
Unsheltered/Other
69
51
1
Sheltered
75
52
42
Shared/Double Up
341
342
160
Hotel/Motel
117
129
82
Unaccompanied Youth*
10
17
8
Total
602
574
285
(Sept – June) (Sept – June) (Sept – Dec)
*also counted in doubled up
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
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Norfolk Public Schools –
Community & Internal Support

Partners


Supply Drives


Shelters, City, Schools, Faith Based, Stores,
Project Hope etc.
Coats, Holiday Gifts, Food etc.
Training for Staff

Annual McKinney Vento Training for
Enrollment Staff

Supplemental Training from Project Hope
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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.)
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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
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Lessons Learned
What Matters:

Being in the schools

Identifying homeless
kids consistently

Remediation by skilled
educators based on
assessments

HOUSING
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