Students Experiencing Homelessness
Fair School Funding
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Strong public schools are important for creating a successful future for both individuals and whole communities. Formula proposals or state budgets affecting education funding should be evaluated based on the following ten criteria. Any proposal or budget that fails to meet these criteria will not serve the interests of all students, especially disadvantaged students, and should not be adopted.
Students Experiencing Homelessness
Equal Access
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Dismantling and potentially eliminating the U.S. Department of Education will result in significant cuts to federal funding, particularly for our most underfunded schools; a lack of federal oversight and enforcement of federal education laws; and an erosion of federal civil rights protections.
Pennsylvania families rely on the U.S. Department of Education to distribute a total of $1.6 billion in federal funds annually to our schools, plus $6 billion in higher education financial aid. These investments are now at risk.
ELC developed the eight fact sheets in this publication to highlight how specific student groups will be affected. See also our “Action Alert” on the U.S. Department of Education.
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COVID-19 school closures have had an impact on students experiencing homelessness. ELC compiled this resource of 5 important things for students experiencing homelessness and their families to know.
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ELC submitted these comments to the U.S. Department of Education in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on May 31, 2016 regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Through these comments, we highlight the critical need for greater accountability of schools serving educationally at risk students, especially students experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, and youth involved in and reentering from the juvenile justice system.
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This public testimony was presented before the Philadelphia City Council’s Joint Committees on Children & Youth and Housing in a hearing on April 28, 2016. Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellow and Education Law Center attorney Alex M. Dutton, Esq. discussed how the city and state can improve outcomes for unaccompanied youth by improving cross-systems collaborations.
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Submitted to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education in March, 2016, this testimony from ELC Senior Staff Attorney Maura McInerney responds to proposed revisions to Chapter 11 of the Public School Code. She suggests an amendment to §11.20 that would allow the immediate enrollment of children experiencing homelessness and children currently in foster care, with immunization records to be provided following that enrollment.
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Senior Staff Attorney Maura McInerney presented this slideshow in February, 2016. The document reviews the Every Students Succeeds Act and considers the potential benefits and drawbacks for vulnerable students in Pennsylvania.
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This collection of “tools” is intended to help parents and providers ensure school success for children and youth (ages 3-21) in Pennsylvania who are experiencing homelessness. The toolkit provides information about important laws and explains legal rights and how to use them.
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Youth who are experiencing homelessness have additional rights under a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Act and rights under Pennsylvania’s Act 1, if they have changed school entities at least once in a school year due to experiencing homelessness. This fact sheet provides detailed information and resources for youth experiencing homelessness regarding their education rights under federal and state law. A sample McKinney-Vento complaint form is provided.
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A 2010 training for childcare professionals and school district personnel on how to improve education outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.
Students Experiencing Homelessness
School to Prison Pipeline
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In January 2022, the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted Act 1 of 2022 (Act 1) (24 P.S. § 13-1331.1), which seeks to remove educational and graduation barriers for students who experience “education instability” due to homelessness, foster care, involvement in the juvenile justice, or court-ordered placements. Act 1 of 2022 seeks to address these barriers and promote timely high school graduation and equal access to school engagement for these students.
You can learn more here.