TRANSITIONING-UNSTABLY-HOUSED-YOUTH-FROM-SECONDARY-TO-POST-SECONDARY-EDUCATION

Transitioning Unstably Housed Youth From Secondary To Post-secondary Education Youth Engagement & Leadership In Ending Homelessness Tracks: Creative Strategies To Prevent And End Student Homelessness Sharing Solutions: Working Across Systems To Improve Housing Outcomes Track Sponsor: Track Sponsor: A special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor: Presenters: Louis Tallarita CT Department of Education Mary Ann (Mimi) Haley CT Coalition to End Homelessness Shirley Fan-Chan Presenter Organization Lesley Mara CT State Colleges & Universities CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Supporting the Education of Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness Academic Success and Access to Higher Education McKinney-Vento Act Main themes: • Role of local homeless education liaison • Identification • School stability • School enrollment • Support for academic success • Student-centered, best interest decision making CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION McKinney-Vento Act “Homeless” “Unaccompanied Youth” CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Supporting Academic Success… Identify Barriers and Revise Policy • develop, review, and revise policies to remove barriers to enrollment and retention due to outstanding fees or fines, or absences [722(g)(1)(I))] • ensure McKinney-Vento students receive appropriate full or partial credit, such as: • consulting with prior school about partial coursework completed; • evaluating students’ mastery of partly completed courses; • offering credit recovery [722(g)(1)(F)(ii))] CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Staying on Track… Grade advancement and HS graduation • Employ effective approaches for intervention and personalized help, matched to student needs • Tutoring / individual instruction • Study skills and test-taking classes • Individual or small group instruction in reading and core academic areas • Extra instruction / credit recovery through Saturday school, after-school, or summer programs • Include interventions and supports available through other federal programs such as Title I and IDEA CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Staying on Track… Grade advancement and HS graduation • Complement regular classes with independent study programs and target specific gaps • Use technology (learning labs, online learning, and computerized modules) to fill gaps in credits for high school graduation • Offer innovative and/or alternative programs to earn credits by participating in: • work experience programs and on-the-job training that students can earn credits; • coursework to earn high school and college credits simultaneously; • dropout prevention and recovery programs CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Paving the way to College … Help to prepare for higher education • School counseling to prepare and improve readiness for college, including college selection, application, financial aid, and on-campus supports [723(g)(1)(K)] • Liaisons must ensure unaccompanied youth are informed of their status as independent students and obtain verification of that status [722(g)(6)(A)(x)(III)]; • Determiners of Independent Status: graduating students identified as an UHY while in high school [*required under ESSA; 42 U.S.C § 11432(g)(6)(A)(x)(III)]; subsequent year determinations for college sophomores, juniors, and seniors (optional) CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE NETWORK INITIATIVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY California CA State University Basic Needs Initiative Colorado The Colorado Task Force on Higher Education for Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness Georgia Embark Massachusetts MA Post-secondary Homeless Students Network Michigan Higher Education Network WHAT IS SPOC The Single Point of Contact (SPOC) is designed to be a safe and supportive college administrator who is committed to helping unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) : ♠ to successfully navigate the college-going process ♠ to implement a streamlined process, and ♠ to facilitate communication and quick referral among departments and services on their campus SAMPLE OF SPOC SIMILAR PROGRAMS ♠ Florida State University (FL) - Center for Academic ♠ ♠ Retention and Enhancement Kennessaw State University (GA) - Campus Awareness, Resource, and Empowerment The University of Massachusetts Boston (MA) - Office of Urban and Off-Campus Support Services Source: National Center for Homeless Education (April 2015) HOT SPOT The Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2017 sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) ★to help remove barriers and provide support to help homeless and foster kids access and succeed in higher education ○to designate a single point of contact to help provide services for these vulnerable students Where to find more information National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) www.naehcy.org National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) https://nche.ed.gov/ Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Lesley D Mara Executive Director Strategic Initiatives, Sponsored Research and Outreach Connecticut State Colleges and Universities lmara@commnet.edu Who We Are: CSCU consists of all of Connecticut’s public institutions of higher education, except UCONN That includes regional universities (Central Connecticut State University; Eastern Connecticut State University; Southern Connecticut State University; and Western Connecticut State University) and the state’s only public fully online 4-year college, Charter Oak State College CSCU also has 12 community colleges: Asnuntuck Community College Capital Community College Gateway Community College Housatonic Community College Manchester Community College Middlesex Community College Naugatuck Valley Community College Northwestern CT Community College Norwalk Community College Quinebaug Valley Community College Three Rivers Community College Tunxis Community College Our Mission The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities contribute to the creation of knowledge and the economic growth of the state of Connecticut by providing affordable, innovative, and rigorous programs Our learning environments transform students and enable over 140,000 Connecticut residents annually to pursue their personal and career goals CSCU has five goals that focus on access, affordability, student success, innovation and economic growth, and equity Current Student Supports Varies by institution, includes: • Counseling (crisis intervention; referrals; workshops, support groups) • Childcare • Tutoring, mentoring • SNAP employment and training • Food pantries, grab and go, snacks, meal tickets • Transportation assistance • Housing assistance Guided Pathways: Beyond “Good Advising” Clarify Paths: Map Pathways to Student End Goals Help Students Choose a Path Improving Student Success Ensure that Students are Learning Help Students Stay on their Path Guided Pathways: A Student-Centered Approach The Typical Community College The Guided Pathways College Paths to student goals not always clear Clear roadmaps to student end goals Too many choices Simplify choice: organize programs into meta-majors Unpredictable course schedules Predictable schedules based on student need “Opt-in” career & college planning Required academic and career plans created in first year experience course Developmental education barriers Embedded supports to help students complete college level math and English in the first year Student progress not consistently monitored Student progress closely tracked, regular feedback & support Credit-free poorly aligned with credit programs Stackable credentials; easy to move from credit-free to aligned credit certificates/degree programs https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/What-We-Know-Guided-Pathways.pdf Holistic Student Support Redesign • • Monitor Student Progress • Ensure all students are monitored • Incorporate predictive analytics & technology Provide Appropriate Interventions • Early alerts & outreach • Align academic supports, learning strategies, & tutoring • Wraparound services: basic needs, mental health, & other supports • Retention strategies based on local & national best practices BRAINSTORM SESSION: BUILD A BRIDGE! 1st Post-It: What can you in your current role to support youth who are experiencing homelessness or severe housing instability? Put your idea, your name, your role, and your institution/organization on your Post-It note 2nd Post-It: What is something you have done that has worked? Uniting Communities To End Homelessness BRAINSTORM SESSION: BUILD A BRIDGE! Build the Bridge: Put your Post-Its on the wall where you think your piece will be most useful – and help us build the bridge between secondary and post-secondary institutions! • Introduce yourself and in seconds tell us what you can in the coming year in your current role Uniting Communities To End Homelessness Questions? Visit: https://www.cceh.org/ati-2019/ or contact training@cceh.org Uniting Communities To End Homelessness A special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor: