3:00 pm - National Association for the Education of Homeless Children

Saturday
November
Preconference
Institutes I
9:00 a.m. -
12:00 p.m.
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Education Units? Remember
to sign in at
every session you
attend!
See page 34 for details.
Colorado
Concurrent session room names appear in BLUE boxes. Refer to the
hotel map on page 36 for specific location.
Strategies for Meeting the Educational Needs of Unaccompanied Youth
Barb Dexter, Secondary Teacher Specialist, Anchorage School District (AK)
Karen Fessler, Director, Project Connect, Cincinnati Public Schools (OH)
Patricia Julianelle, Counsel, NAEHCY (DC)
“Unaccompanied homeless youth” are youth who are homeless and not in the physical custody
of a parent or guardian. Often, they are young people who have runaway, been asked to leave
home, or left home with the consent of a parent. These students have unique needs and present
challenging questions for schools. This preconference will review basic legal education issues,
including identification, enrollment, decision-making, participation in school athletics and other
extra-curricular activities, credit accrual and recovery, and other strategies to welcome, engage
,and support unaccompanied youth in school. It will also provide practical strategies for the implementation
of the McKinney-Vento Act’s provisions on unaccompanied youth. New liaisons,
State Coordinators and advocates, as well as those with some experience, would benefit from this
presentation.
Effective Teaching: Teaching Strategies That Work for Students
Experiencing Homelessness?
Patricia Popp, Ph.D., State Coordinator, Project HOPE (VA)
Fran Anderson, Teacher, Shalom Center, Kenosha School District (WI)
This session will highlight research on effective teaching strategies that have been identified for
serving students experiencing homelessness and their peers who encounter similar challenges of
poverty and high mobility. A veteran teacher will share her insights regarding what this looks like
on the “front lines” of instruction. Opportunities to identify challenges, brainstorm solutions, and
share successes are part of our lesson plan!
Complying with the McKinney-Vento Act
Tim Stahlke, Senior Program Coordinator, Texas Homeless Education Office (TX)
This workshop will provide an overview of all the basic provisions required of school districts in
the McKinney-Vento Act, including the definition of homelessness, school selection and enrollment
provisions, transportation responsibilities, the use of Title I, Part A, Set-Asides, child nutrition,
special education, and the delivery of other services. The primary objective of this workshop
is to give participants tools they can use to make sure the students they serve enroll in and attend
school. Participants will discover effective ways to address the core issues of educating students
in homeless situations that can be adapted to the needs of their own schools and districts. This
workshop is a half-day, stand-alone workshop intended for school district personnel, social service
providers, and other practitioners who have been in the field for less than two years.
School and Community Collaboration for an Effective Service
Delivery System
Moderator: Christina Endres, State Coordinator for Homeless Education, Indiana
Department of Education (IN)
Colorado H-I
Colorado G
Mattie Silk
Colorado D
This workshop explores collaborative efforts between schools and community resources working
with children in homeless or highly mobile families from a multifaceted perspective. This session
will identify challenges to effective partnerships as well as successful strategies for overcoming
them. Specific programs and practices that could be adapted effectively for use by school-level
educators, local homeless liaisons, state homeless coordinators, social service workers, and other
personnel who touch the lives of homeless students will be examined. A panel of experts will
provide insights and answer questions. Activities will also focus on specific needs of participants
to help them apply what they learn once they are back in their communities.
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