Key Provisions in Title I Relating to Homelessness

· A child or youth who is homeless and is attending any school in the district is automatically eligible for Title I services.

· Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), otherwise known as school districts, must reserve (or set aside) funds as are necessary to provide services comparable to those provided to children in Title I, Part A, -funded schools to serve homeless children who do not attend participating schools, including providing educationally related support services to children in shelters and other locations where children may live.

· An LEA may receive funding under Title I, Part A, only if the LEA has on file with the State Educational Agency (SEA) a plan, approved by the SEA, that is coordinated with other programs under this Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and other Acts, as appropriate. Each LEA Title I plan must include a description of the services that will be provided to homeless children, including services provided with funds from the Reservation of Funds set-aside.

· Any state desiring to receive funding under Title I, Part A, must submit a plan to the Secretary that is coordinated with other programs under this Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, the Head Start Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

· States must include homeless students, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act, in their academic assessment, reporting, and accountability systems. [Title I, Part A Regulation 200.6(d)]

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) targets those students most at risk of failing in school. Among students at risk of school failure are children and youth experiencing homelessness. Children and youth who are homeless are more likely to miss school and to change schools than are other children and youth; they are, therefore, at higher risk of educational failure.

Children and youth in homeless situations benefit from Title I services and programs. However, additional Title I funds may be needed to address specific needs of children who are homeless or highly mobile. For example, an excellent reading program implemented in a School-wide school or Targeted Assistance school will not be effective for children and youth who are unable to attend school regularly. In this instance, an appropriate expenditure of Title I funds would be to remove barriers that prevent regular attendance, such as providing transportation to school. Set-aside funds should support children and youth experiencing homelessness in non-Title I participating schools and those in participating schools who need additional support outside of school, including students living in shelters, motels, transitional living programs, and other locations.

The ESEA requires a state plan that demonstrates coordination between Title I and the McKinney-Vento Act. Coordination of services results in the most effective use of resources, ensuring that the needs of students experiencing homelessness are addressed in a comprehensive and integrated fashion. LEA homeless liaisons, now required to be appointed in every school district, and district Title I coordinators must communicate and collaborate on an ongoing basis to identify the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness, review resources, and plan ways to address needs. Collaboration results in a “win-win” situation: students in homeless situations achieve to high standards, and student achievement in the district increases as a whole.

Strategies for Using Title I Funds to Serve Students Experiencing Homelessness

· Enroll homeless students in existing Title I programs and provide homeless students with Title I services being implemented within the LEA.

· If Title I set aside funds are available combine those funds with other funding sources such as modified Allowable Growth for Dropout Prevention to meet basic needs (clothing, supplies, health) of students experiencing homelessness so that they may participate more fully in educational opportunities offered by the school.

· Improve Title I parent involvement activities that make a special effort to reach out to parents in homeless situations.

· In districts with Title I set-asides for homeless populations consider using set-aside funds for after-school and/or summer programs and outreach services to children and youth living in shelters, transitional living programs, motels, and other temporary residences. Also consider services for highly mobile students.

· Collect data on students experiencing homelessness as part of the overall districtwide data collection system including Title I.

· Pool Title I, McKinney-Vento, and other sources of federal and state funds identified in in CSIP appplication forms to provide a comprehensive program for children at risk of failure, ensuring that specific needs of children experiencing homelessness or high mobility are met.

Strategies to Facilitate Collaboration and Coordination between Title I and McKinney-Vento

· Ensure that LEA homeless liaisons attend Title I conferences and in-services and that Title I coordinators attend homeless education conferences and in-services.

· Ensure collaboration between local Title I coordinators and LEA homeless liaisons on CSIP that identifies ways that Title I will serve children and youth experiencing homelessness.

· Ensure collaboration between the state Title I coordinator and the state McKinney-Vento coordinator on the state consolidated plan.

· Share Title I and Homeless Education handbooks with each program.

· Collect and share across the district concrete data on the needs of homeless children and youth.

· Involve Title I coordinators in structured coalition-building with homeless education programs and organizations that serve homeless families and unaccompanied homeless youth, and establish common goals.

· Initiate district efforts to make organizational accommodations for homeless children and youth as necessary in such areas as transportation, remaining in the school of origin, records transfer, class scheduling, and special services that will help them enroll, attend, and succeed in school.

· Involve homeless education program staff in school improvement issues; make sure that addressing the needs of highly mobile students is included in the school improvement plans— not addressed as a separate issue.

· Co-locate Title I and homeless education programs.

· Emphasize that coordination and sharing of resources is beneficial to the district as a whole because serving homeless children and youth will increase school achievement, lower truancy and dropout rates, and increase overall funding to the district.

· Determine what funding is available to serve homeless children and youth and how it is being used. Identify needs and develop a cross-program approach to address unmet needs.

· Establish and widely disseminate information on districtwide policies, procedures, and guidelines to identify and serve homeless children and youth.

Every state is required to have a coordinator for the education of homeless children and youth, and every school district is required to have a liaison for homeless students. These individuals will assist you with the implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act.