The Pennsylvania regional model to implement the McKinney-Vento Act provides an
opportunity for every child or youth identified as experiencing homelessness to access needed resources or services especially related to school enrollment, including pre-kindergarten, and academic success.
Regional coordinators and their staff train, troubleshoot, intervene, and collaborate on behalf of children and youth and their families, the schools they attend, or the shelters in which they reside. The nature of their work and the differences among the regions provide challenges unique to each region. There are differences in geographic territory and urban-centric locale of communities and schools in their region. There are differences in the numbers of LEAs
(including the growing number of charter and cyber charter schools), shelters, pre-kindergarten programs, and kinds of organizations that provide services to children, youth, or families experiencing homelessness. Additionally there are differences in the numbers and roles of ECYEH Program staff within the regions. These challenges and differences contribute to the recommendations that follow.
The 2012-13 reporting was the most complete and accurate reporting to date, which was expected as it typically takes three years of a new program evaluation to address and resolve most major data collection issues. As such, 2012-13 had the highest number of reporting entities, the highest number of children/youth reported, and the most comprehensive data for analysis, as compared to prior years. As reporting has become more complete and accurate there are some things that appear to be improving, such as a decrease in barriers, an increase in
services, and an increase in the number of pre-kindergarten children being reported. Evaluators caution that these observed improvements may be a result of better reporting, more entities reporting, and a better understanding of what needs to be reported rather than actual
improvements, though it is possible that they are actual improvement as well.
There are several themes that have remained consistent and ongoing evaluation will ultimately reveal or confirm trends. For now, the themes that have emerged include:
• Approximately 20 percent of identified children/youth experience homelessness for more than one year.
At least three quarters of children/youth are documented as economically disadvantaged.
The majority of students remain in their LEA or LEA-school of origin.
Students who reside in hotels/motels and are doubled-up perform better on state
assessments than students who reside in shelters/transitional housing/awaiting foster care, or are unsheltered.
Students experiencing homelessness perform similarly to their classmates indicating that their academic performance may be an indicator of their educational experience and not their homeless status.
Three quarters of students with two years of assessment data maintained, improved, or did not need to improve their state assessment scores.
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• Despite some consistency for a large portion of children/youth, there are students who experience extreme mobility, are homeless for more than two years, or experience barriers to enrollment.
Most significant of the findings, from the evaluator’s perspective, was the discovery that even though almost 100 percent of public LEAs and 100 percent of shelters reported on children/youth experiencing homelessness, there were instances where children/youth who experienced
homelessness were not initially reported because they did not need any services from the ECYEH Program or they were not enrolled in school meaning that they were under two or ages three to five but not enrolled in any pre-kindergarten program. Until all identified children and youth are reported [of children and youth required to be included in reporting] evaluators will not know if the numbers of identified children and youth are increasing or decreasing. Steps have already been put in place to address any under-reporting issues that remain in 2013-14.
Given the findings that have emerged and previous year’s recommendations, evaluators offer the following considerations for PDE related to program management of the ECYEH Program to optimize program implementation at the regional and local levels.
• Increase interdepartmental relations with Title I, Special Education, Migrant Education, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Child Accounting within PDE. While steps have been taken to improve communication and collaboration with these programs, especially with OCDEL and the Migrant Education Program, there is still more work that needs to be done. There needs to be a common voice when it comes to the rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness, the services or guidance provided by these programs, and the coordination of services. It is not enough to present at meetings or conferences. PDE should consider having common planning time or standing collaborative meetings among the programs. LEAs need to hear a consistent message from the various programs. The Title I and Homeless PowerPoint needs updated to accurately reflect Pennsylvania’s model and to provide guidance on coordinating services at the LEA or school level, especially since what funds can be used in both programs is similar.
• State guidance regarding the operation and implementation of the ECYEH Program needs to be more structured. Implementation and operation expectations should be specifically outlined in the upcoming Request for Applications (RFA). The state should consider setting priorities in the RFA. Examples of priority areas could include outreach to pre-kindergarten programs; programs for unaccompanied youth; credit-recovery options for high-school students; academic support services or funds for service for students residing in shelters; and collaboration with the Migrant Education Program.
Applicants should have to indicate what is currently in place, continuing needs based on data, and how they plan to address those needs. Because there may be additional needs unique to a region, applicants should also have the opportunity to describe local needs and how they plan to address such needs.
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• PDE should also consider providing guidance on how grantees collaborate within their region with other intermediate units, collaborate among regions, how funds are
distributed within the region, or where site coordinators are located within a region.
Furthermore, PDE should:
o Review the make-up of each region with regard to the numbers of children/youth experiencing homelessness and where they are located, the number of LEAs, the number and types of resources that are available, and the geographic area of the region to make this determination. In doing such a review, the state team should take into consideration current site coordinators who serve as a district homeless liaison. This should not be a dual role. These districts have the most students.
They need additional support; they should not be providing services beyond their district. Likewise, there are some LEAs that have a very large number of
students, how these LEAs are supported needs to be considered as well. PDE also needs to consider the role of intermediate units as LEAs. Currently, except when the regional coordinator or site coordinator resides in an IU, the IU does not have a person identified as a homeless liaison. Perhaps this is one way to alleviate undue burden on a district or a regional coordinator.
o Applicants should provide a rationale for how they plan to collaborate with other intermediate units within their region, collaborate across regions, locate site coordinators, or serve areas with the greatest populations of children/youth.
Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with intermediate units within the region should be included as part of the application process.
• Make the most of the state conference. The state conference should be for the LEAs and entities with which the coordinators work. Because of frequent turnover, consider having a “Homeless 101” strand for individuals new to their role or unfamiliar with the program.
Topics for introductory sessions might include considerations for selecting a homeless liaison; the role of the homeless liaison; the role of the ECYEH coordinator; resources available to homeless liaisons; how to coordinate needs of students experiencing homelessness with Title I services, special education services, and other district
programs; collaboration with community resources; and data collection. There could be regional break-out sessions where LEAs, agencies that provide homeless services and shelters have common discussion/planning time.
• Make the most of the regional coordinator meetings.
o State updates at the coordinator meetings should include updates on
interdepartmental collaboration, program officer updates regarding participation in meetings, and key outcomes or information that coordinators need to know.
o To make the most of everyone’s time and funds, the fall meeting should continue to be attached to the conference. During the year and especially in the winter, consider webinars or online meetings. Also consider having staff utilize the PATTANs in the west and the east and then connecting from those sites. This way, small group work can occur and be shared back to the larger group.
Consider having the final meeting of the program year after schools are closed and before staff take their summer break.
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o Utilize coordinators’ expertise to discuss difficult cases and share specific strategies, collaborations, or operating procedures that have worked in the past.
o Coordinator training should come from national events or experts. Time should be incorporated into the meeting for coordinators to provide updates to or sharing of strategies with their colleagues and the state team.
The evaluation of the ECYEH Program is intended to provide a statewide and regional picture of program implementation, outcomes, and impacts. These findings, along with detailed
information at the county, LEA, or school level, when appropriate, is provided to the regional coordinators and the program staff at PDE to assist with internal program implementation, improvement, and decision making. Additionally, regions received individual child/youth information from the data collection process. Results are based upon the data available.
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Consolidated Performance Report - Parts I and II for State Formula Grant Programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – As Amended in 2001 for Reporting on School Year 2010-11
The Consolidated Performance Report can be found at
http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html
Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program – State Plan (Amended October 2013)
The State Plan can be found at
file://s-drive/home/Profiles/trobel/My%20Documents/Downloads/ECYEH%20State%20Plan%202013%
20FINAL.pdf