Moving from Compliance to QualityBuilding a Strong Foundation

for Your McKinney-Vento ProgramDiana Bowman

Beth Garriss Hardy, PhDJan Moore

National Center for Homeless Education

Big Picture ThinkingList of activities

• Every activity is just as important as any other – difficult to distinguish level of importance

• Short-term focus• Success is measured by

whether the activity is completed, not whether this is the best activity

Programmatic approach• A limited set of goals is

derived from needs; long-term planning

• Activities not related to goals are eliminated – prioritization – better use of time and resources

• Success is measured by whether the goal is reached and need is addressed

• Clear links between needs, goals, objectives, activities, outcomes, and resources

• Helps prioritize your work and make the work manageable

• Enables you to plan & be strategic over time• Provides a rationale and logic for describing your

work to others (such as those who can provide resources)

• Enables you to define and show progress

Why a programmatic approach?

Fundamentals of Program Thinking

• Using data• Conducting a needs assessment• Creating collaboratives• Setting goals• Prioritizing activities• Measuring progress

Utilizing Data• Overview of 2008-2009 CSPR• How the data can help

– Free and reduced lunch– Homeless– Urban Institute stats

• Tracking the barriers– Record issues as they arise– Determine how to address

Table Discussion1. What do the numbers in your

district tell you?a. Are your numbers changing?b. Are you seeing trends?c. What barriers do you still face?d. What resources are available?

2. How are you using the data?

The local homeless liaison in the Overbrook School District noticed that the district data showed that: •Many more homeless children were identified in elementary schools than high schools•Homeless high school youth performed far below other students and dropped out at a higher rate•Attendance among homeless high school-aged youth was much more sporadic thanthat of non-homeless students

What Overbrook discovered…

Conducting a Needs Assessment – Why?

• Ensures that decisions are based on data• Creates a cross-program view of the needs of

homeless children and youth• Helps identify gaps between needs and services• Reinforces collective responsibility• Creates a foundation for collaboration • Provides a basis for the Title IA homeless

set aside amount

Getting Started• Create a needs assessment

committee• Establish meeting schedule• Make the case with program

administrators for the importance of data-based decision making

A Sample Tool• NCHE’s Needs Assessment Worksheet – LEA• Guiding Questions:

– Awareness– Policies/Procedures– Identification/Enrollment/Access– Student Success– Collaboration

Internal External

– Resources/Capacity

Make it yoursSample Needs Assessment Worksheet

• Choose the questions most suitable for your situation

• Adopt or adapt according to your needs• Adjust level of specificity of questions –

depth might vary according to current status of program

• Be strategic. Collect all the databut only the data you need

Needs Assessment Summary

Score sheet to accompany worksheets• Current status?• Biggest challenges?• What’s missing?• What’s next?

What They Learned:• School staff and teachers were not aware of

homeless youth or how to identify them• Schools were reluctant to enroll homeless

unaccompanied youth• Few housing options for homeless youth – most

couch surfed and some went to a youth shelter in the next district; many who were attending school “disappeared”

Overbrook’s needs assessment identified homeless

unaccompanied youth as one area of significant need

• Many homeless unaccompanied youth struggled to meet basic needs; many were arrested for illegal activities, such as stealing

• Title I services were focused only on elementary schools

• A civic organization operated a small mentoring program for youth in the community

More on what Overbrook learned from the needs assessment …

Overbrook decided for the next year to focus on the needs of unaccompanied youth as a critical need.

Is this a wise decision?

Choosing a focus

Richmond (VA) School District’s Approach

Most Significant Finding in the Needs Assessment• 35% of documented homeless children & youth

were between the ages of 0–5 years.

Goal• All preschool homeless children enroll in and

attend preschool programs.

Desired Outcome• Increase in # of homeless preschool

children receiving early intervention.

Program Activities • Development of district policy for homeless children• School/shelter/community in-service & staff

development (Head Start, principals, DSS, etc.)• Data collection – Comprehensive intake forms• Transportation – Bus tickets (GRTC grant) and inter-

district transportation collaboration• Infant/toddler program• Collaboration with Head Start/Early Head Start• Tutoring program in all shelters• Parenting program

Outcomes impacted several areas …

• Increase in # of parents/guardians and unaccompanied youth who are informed of their rights and educational opportunities.

• Increase in # of parents and unaccompanied youth who will make the best interest decisions regarding school enrollment and educational stability.

• Increase in # of collaborative efforts with federal programs, LEA staff, and community based service providers to assist in the identification, documentation, and provision of services for homeless children and youth and their families.

Outcomes (cont.) • Increase in # of homeless students demonstrating

academic progress and taking state assessments. • Increase in # of homeless students experiencing

stability in school and having regular attendance. • Increase in # of homeless preschool children identified

as homeless by LEA and community based agencies enrolled and attending a SEA, LEA public preschool, private daycare, and have access to developmental assessments.

One focused activity can have multiple impacts.

What’s Next?Generate an Action Plan

1. Bring people to the table2. Establish goals with measurable objectives3. Prioritize the work4. Determine who will carry out the plan

a. Clarify roles and responsibilities5. Decide how you will measure

success

• School - social workers, teachers, principals, enrollment staff

• School district – Title I coordinator, truancy officers, transportation director

• Community – service providers, DSS, law enforcement

• Others?

Who should be involved in planning for the Overbrook

program?

1. Where are we now?2. Where do we want to go?3. How will we get there?4. How will we know we are there?5. How can we keep it going?

Edie L. Holcomb, Asking the Right Questions:Tools for Collaboration and School Change

5 Critical Questions for Collaborative Planning

• Should derive from needs assessment• Should be limited in number• Should have measurable objectives• Should be ambitious but realistic

Standards and Indicators for Quality McKinney-Vento Programs would be a useful tool.

What goals would you recommend for Overbrook?

Develop Goals

• All homeless students, including homeless unaccompanied youth, are identified and enrolled in school.

• All homeless students, including homeless unaccompanied youth, will experience stability in school.

• All homeless unaccompanied youth will have their basic needs met through community collaborations.

Goals Overbrook Selected

1. Number of homeless youth identified and enrolled in school will increase by 25 %

2. The attendance rate for homeless youth will improve by 25 %

3. All identified homeless youth will receive services for basic needs – food, clothing, housing

Measurable Objectives

How to Prioritize the Work• What are the most critical areas that

need to be addressed?• Which activities will have the greatest

impact?• What activities can I do that will provide

a foundation for impact?• Which activities need to be done now

and which should come later?

• Should be concrete• Should be doable• Should relate directly to the goals

(those that do not should be put on the back burner)

What activities would you recommend for each goal?

What activities would enable the objectives to be accomplished to

meet the goals?

But, I am only one person!

Making the work manageable

Manage your Time

Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Effective People

Where should you spend your time?

Benefits of Working in Q2• Expand capacity

– Partnerships and collaborations• Build the infrastructure

– Increase awareness– Develop policies and procedures

• Pre-empt crises – Anticipate problems

What can you do to create a more programmatic approach to

serving homeless children and youth?

• What can you build on?• What barriers do you face?• How can these barriers be

addressed?

Get to Know NCHE…

• NCHE is the U.S. Department of Education’s homeless education technical assistance and information center

• NCHE has– A comprehensive website: www.serve.org/nche– A toll-free helpline: Call 800-308-2145 or e-mail

homeless@serve.org– A listserv: e-mail tlewis@serve.org to join– Free resources (including The Local Liaison

Toolkit) Visit www.serve.org/nche/products.php• NCHE is housed with NCHEP at

the SERVE Center at UNCG

Contact Information

Diana Bowman 336-315-7453

dbowman@serve.org

National Center for Homeless Education

Toll-free Helpline 800-308-2145