Section 1: Academic Achievement - National Center for School ...

frustration level rose, yet I was soothed by the knowledge that once I found the answer, my
work would lead to increased understanding about the law and access to an improved quality
of education for homeless and highly mobile students. An unexpected benefit was building
relationships with people in the district.
As I worked the identification piece, I also spent time in the school cafeteria, as well as
outside the building before and after school. Since I didn’t have a classroom of my own, I
needed to be intentional in my effort to get to know and observe students outside of class.
This practice led me to Emilio, who worried over his younger sister not having adequate
supplies for school. Her backpack had holes in it and the zipper was broken. Emilio couldn’t
focus because he feared the ridicule of other students. Their father promised to replace it, but
there hadn’t been enough money to do that for several weeks. Even though our school had
backpacks with supplies for H/HM students, these backpacks were given to students upon
enrolling at school. If the students developed a need after that time, there was no system for
replacement. When I brought Emilio’s situation to the office secretaries and asked them how
we identify students who need replacement supplies, they said that “we discover them when
they come up.” Clearly this system failed the Emilio’s family. So, I discussed it with the
office staff at a staff meeting. Teachers agreed to keep an extra careful eye on their students
and to also put a system in place for students to request supplies they may need. I also
ensured that the office was stocked with extra supplies. Emilio’s younger sister, Tessa,
happened to be one of the students I served in Title Math. Due to my limited time with Tessa
and the fact that I provided all of the supplies, I would never have known about her distress
had I no gotten to know her brother.
Emilio and Tessa’s situation was similar to that of one of my second grade students, Maria
who was prevented from buying a la carte items because she had a debt on her lunch account.
Neither the policy nor the girl’s situation made sense to me. She not only qualified for free
lunch, but she was also highly mobile. Maria had recently moved back to the States from
Mexico. She didn’t understand why she was being blocked from purchasing snacks. She was
in tears, frustrated, and embarrassed when I approached her in the cafeteria. The cashier told
me that even though Maria qualified for free lunch, policy stated that until students get their
free lunch forms submitted, they are required to pay full price for lunch. Once they qualify
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