TransACT Blog

Making the Grade for Students Experiencing Homelessness

We all share the same mission, to provide the best services we can and help students succeed. It is easy to get swept away in the day-to-day of running a district, or Coordinating Title I, Title III, and McKinney-Vento programming or becoming caught up in an overwhelming amount of data without knowing where you can make a further positive impact. 

There are many challenges to working with students experiencing homelessness, particularly when it comes to the complex reporting requirements that, for example, vary between federal grants like the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act grants and ESSA Title I homeless student services. 

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) made some significant changes to how schools are identified as "in improvement."

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) shifted the responsibility for some requirements of federal mandates to be determined in ESSA States plans.  

The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) has announced that they will be hosting a webinar titled "10 Liaison Duties." The one-hour webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31st at 11:00am CT (12:00 pm ET, 9:00am PT).

This year, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) took full-effect, including the addition of monitoring visits by the federal government. It is imperative, not only to satisfy the legal requirements of ESSA, but also to fulfill the spirit behind the legislation: improving student outcomes for all learners.  

Your district can accomplish this by keeping the following items in mind:  

When it comes to non-academic performance management, there are many ways that data can help districts gain efficiency and improve processes. While you may not have thought about measuring operational performance data as part of the equation for district success, data from departments like transportation, maintenance and operations, food service, and technology can produce valuable information about how schools and districts operate. This data drives the ability to discover and communicate efficient best-practices.

On May 29th at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET, Dr. David Holbrook, Executive Director, Federal Compliance of TransACT Communications, will be hosting a webinar examining the benefits of coordinating between ESSA Title I / Title III and McKinney-Vento programs when serving ELs who may be experiencing homelessness.

On April 29, 2019, the White House issued a memo for the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security with the subject of "Additional Measures to Enhance Border Security and Restore Integrity of Our Immigration System." These regulations could make it more difficult for immigrants seeking asylum as they limit their ability to be self sustaining during the asylum application process.

Not only would these regulations impose fees for the asylum application and employment authorization application, but for those that entered illegally, it would also bar them from receiving employment authorization during the asylum process. Asylum seekers with school age children could potentially be negatively impacted by the changes outlined in these proposed regulations.

TransACT is proud to launch a new web presence, www.rightlabs.com.

ActivityRight, InviteRight, and CampusRight recently joined our family so that we could expand our services to educators.