The McKinney-Vento Act and Children and Youth ... - State of Michigan

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1. Amend federal and state education legislation to ensure that all youth in care are able to stay in their school of origin if it is in their best interest, immediately enroll in school, and receive all the support they need to be successful in school. (Such amendments should complement recent changes to federal child welfare laws.) Ensuring that all children and youth in out-of-home care can benefit from school stability, immediate enrollment, and services to support academic success represents sound educational policy. For example, Facing Foster Care in Alaska, a group of youth in care and alumni, prepared a list of the 14 most significant difficulties in their educational experience. Half of those difficulties could be relieved in whole or in part by services such as those provided by the McKinney-Vento Act, including: • Assigned the same work over and over • Trouble obtaining transcripts • Lost credit for work completed in shorter stays • No reliable transportation to school • Changing schools with placement changes • Difficulty making friends when there for a short time • Not able to be in extra-curricular activities One youth in out-of-home care described her school district’s McKinney- Vento program as a touchstone: “For a few years, I went to summer school [at the McKinney-Vento program] even when I didn’t have to make up credits, just because it was free and positive. I got free food, met people who were in similar situations, and got help with homework. It was really good networking. I was able to get some required classes done there, so I didn’t have to worry so much during the year. It opened up more time in my schedule during the school year. I was working 50 hours a week, too, and I got school credit for my jobs. Normally that costs around $80 per credit, but I got it for free. I got my SAT fees waived, too.” — Rebecca Shier 59 54 The McKinney-Vento Act and Children and Youth Awaiting Foster Care Placement
2. Amend federal and state child welfare legislation to facilitate and support educational success for youth in care. Amendments to facilitate and support educational success should also complement recent changes to federal child welfare laws and should entail: • Clarifying and strengthening the role and responsibility of child welfare agencies in educational matters. Education is a critical part of the ultimate success and independence of youth in out-ofhome care. McKinney-Vento eligibility should not be interpreted as taking over the responsibility of child welfare agencies for school enrollment, attendance, and success. • Strengthening supports for child welfare agencies to place youth near their schools of origin (unless contradicting safety or permanency outcomes), including substantial efforts to expand the availability of foster homes and other placements, increase placement stability, and change placements at breaks in the school year whenever possible. • Developing a joint, state-level implementation plan. • Requiring training on the McKinney-Vento Act and educational needs and services for child welfare administrators and caseworkers. • Requiring collaboration between child welfare agencies and schools at the state and local level, including establishing protocols for appropriate information-sharing. • P roviding for child welfare and education agencies to share the responsibility for transportation, both in terms of funding and infrastructure, such as recruiting bus drivers, maintaining buses, and hiring personnel to arrange transportation and keep up with mobility. Strategies for Improving Educational Outcomes through School Stability 55
Page 1 and 2:
BUILDING FUTURES THROUGH EDUCATION
Page 3 and 4:
Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6:
Executive Summary “ Education was
Page 7 and 8: meeting the child’s unique needs,
Page 9 and 10: Treat youth in out-ofhome care with
Page 11 and 12: Educational Challenges of Homelessn
Page 13 and 14: This residential instability too of
Page 15 and 16: • As many as three-quarters of ol
Page 17 and 18: Overview of the McKinney-Vento Act
Page 19 and 20: (iii) children and youths who are l
Page 21 and 22: From Law into Practice: Strategies
Page 23 and 24: Public Schools, it took three years
Page 25 and 26: • Create an interagency task forc
Page 27 and 28: ENSURING REGULAR INTERAGENCY CONTAC
Page 29 and 30: and roundtable discussions with sch
Page 31 and 32: stakeholders to the table, such as
Page 33 and 34: Massachusetts • “Temporary, tra
Page 35 and 36: To summarize from narrower to broad
Page 37 and 38: for the duration of the school year
Page 39 and 40: they will be better able to manage
Page 41 and 42: 4. Ensure that education and child
Page 43 and 44: Whether they function as employees
Page 45 and 46: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENROLLING TH
Page 47 and 48: WHO ARRANGES TRANSPORTATION? The lo
Page 49 and 50: • Immediate access to free school
Page 51 and 52: The program manager is now working
Page 53 and 54: circumstances will exchanged inform
Page 55 and 56: “ I had an amazing caseworker fro
Page 57: From Practice into Law: Policy Reco
Page 61 and 62: 6. Implement procedures for schools
Page 63 and 64: Conclusion As the efforts of jurisd
Page 65 and 66: References Advocates for Children o
Page 67 and 68: Robertson, M., & Toro, P. (1999). H
Page 69 and 70: APPENDIX List of Interviewees Autho
Page 71 and 72: Endnotes 1 Personal communication,
Page 73 and 74: 26 Burley, M., & Halpern, M. (2001)
Page 76: For additional information, please
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