Georgia

[|Georgia]
====In addition to teaching students of poverty - as well as any other student who walks through my classroom door - I am also interested in teaching students who are homeless. The evidence connecting homelessness and it's effect on children's ability to learn is daunting. Children who are homeless are faced with serious threats to their overall well being. Among issues that are particularly worrisome are depression, developmental delays, poor nutrition, behavioral problems and educational underdevelopment. This isn't only an educational problem, it is a Public Health problem as well. Initiatives in public policy can help meet the needs of homeless children (Rafferty and Shinn, 1991). The following resources are intended for students and any other interested readers who may wish to review the literature. ====

Reference: Rafferty, Yvonne., Shinn, Marybeth, 1991. //American Psychologist, 11.// 1170-1179. The impact of homelessness on children.

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====This article. from the National Coalition for the Homeless, looks at the barriers homeless children face in public education and the progress that has been made in removing some of those barriers. As families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population here in the United States, with an estimated 1.35 million children who may face homelessness over the course of a one year period, policy on how to ameliorate this ever growing problem is imperative if we are to effectively intervene and help our children overcome the obstacles homelessness presents to them to be able to live healthy, productive lives. An excerpt from the article follows. ==== =Education of Homeless Children and Youth; NCH Fact Sheet #10=

BACKGROUND
====Families with children are by most accounts among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. In the United States today, an estimated 1.35 million children are likely to experience homelessness over the course of a year (The Institute for Children and Poverty, 2004). This number represents two percent of all children in the United States, and ten percent of all poor children in the United States. Homelessness has a devastating impact on homeless children and youth’s educational opportunities. Residency requirements, guardianship requirements, delays in transfer of school records, lack of transportation, and lack of immunization records often prevent homeless children from enrolling in school. Homeless children and youth who are able to enroll in school still face barriers to regular attendance: while 87% of homeless youth are enrolled in school, only 77% attend school regularly ==== ====(U.S. Department of Education, 2004). In addition to enrollment problems, the high mobility associated with homelessness has severe educational consequences. Homeless families move frequently due to limits on length of shelter stays, search for safe and affordable housing or employment, or to escape abusive partners. All too often, homeless children have to change schools because shelters or other temporary accommodations are not located in their school district. In recent years, 42% of homeless children transferred schools at least once, and 51% of these students transferred twice or more (Institute for Children and Poverty, 2003). Every time a child has to change schools, his or her education is disrupted. According to some estimates, 3-6 months of education are lost with every move. In a recent study of homeless children in New York City, 23% of homeless children repeated a grade, and 13% were placed in special education classes, many times inappropriately (Institute for Children and Poverty, 2003). Homeless children are thus at high risk for falling behind in school due to their mobility. Without an opportunity to receive an education, homeless children are much less likely to acquire the skills they need to escape poverty as adults.====

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====This article details some of the problems that are encountered both by children who are homeless and the school systems that try to help them. Enrollment, teaching strategies, and school organization are some of the topics touched upon in this article; a brief excerpt follows. It was located in **ERIC**.====

**ERIC Identifier:** ED383783 **Publication Date:** 1995-04-00 **Author:** Schwartz, Wendy. **Source:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education New York NY.

=School Programs and Practices for Homeless Students. ERIC/CUE Digest, Number 105. = ==== Most urban schools have created special programs for homeless students to help them succeed academically, and to offer them access to social services and a safe and stress-free environment. Some programs even provide parents with services, an opportunity to develop skills, and volunteer or part-time work.The more comprehensive programs may require significant expenditures, such as the B. F. Day Elementary School in Seattle, which serves only homeless students (Quint, 1994). Others, however, are surprisingly inexpensive, although they may be labor intensive. Some programs can be supported by private contributions. ====

The Lives Of Homeless Families
====Residence in a shelter is not conducive to good parenting, nutrition, or hygiene; provides no sense of stability; and offers little privacy for homework or family interaction. Further, shelter life may expose children to violence--as victims, witnesses, or even participants. Some feelings suffered by homeless children can take a great toll on their academic success; fatigue can destroy concentration, hopelessness can undermine initiative, and anger can cause bad behavior (First & Oakley, 1993). Many children need comprehensive support for recovery. Some exhibit little evidence of the turmoil in their lives, but can benefit from supports that help them achieve their full potential (Eddowes, 1992). "Parentified" children, who assume the role of family caregiver and function at a higher level than other homeless children, need to be relieved of burdens not appropriate for a child to carry (Tower, 1992). ====

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==== This article, from the Family Housing Fund, explains in details how homelessness affects children at different ages, starting from before birth. In addition, it touches on health issues homeless children face and the consequences of things like poor nutrition, asthma, anemia, and others. It also offers positive suggestions that help the reader understand that these problems can be reversed. ====

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This article, from the National Education Association, titled "Address Unknown," highlights problems a homeless child faces in school, including embarrassment, no place to study, a lack of food, and isolation. According to the U.S.Department of Education, as cited in the article, in 2007 there were nearly 800,000 homeless children enrolled in public schools. (Please note: that number only includes those children who are __enrolled__ in a school). It depicts real situations from real peoples lives and provides suggestions as to what educators and others can do to help.

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====This article, from the CDC, is a report regarding problems of adequate housing on the development of young children. It includes recommendations from the Task Force on Community Prevention Services. The article sites inadequate housing, due to poverty, as putting a strain on families as they deal with having to relocate, live with other families, divert finances intended for necessities such as food and medical care to housing costs, and experience periods of homelessness.====

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====This article, from The American Journal of Public Health, touches on the effects of education, income and occupation on the development of heart disease. As many o﻿f these problems actually begin in childhood, especially in the homes of impoverished families, I felt it was important to include it in this WIKI. ====

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====This article, from the National Law Center On Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP), addresses the legalities of admitting students to public schools who are termed "unaccompanied youth" (NLCHP, 2003). The information contained in this article, although not intended as legal advice, does spell out some of the difficulties and solutions students and schools have faced while trying to enroll kids who don't have a parent or other legal guardian. ====



====This lesson was prepared to be taught in a regular classroom. There are provisions in the lesson plan for students of varying abilities. If I were teaching this lesson to homeless children, I would: a) break it into two lessons. Research indicates that keeping work in the classroom that otherwise would be sent home is an effective method to help homeless children keep up with their peers and dividing large projects into smaller chunks gives a sense of accomplishment to students who are adjusting to changes in and out of school (Diverse Teaching Strategies for Homeless Children, Chap.2, Reed-Victor and Stronge, www/http://www.ascd.org.publications/books/100229/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Homeless-Children.aspx, and [RESA] Regional Educational Service Agency; []), and b) provide manual materials for them to do all the work if a computer was not available for them to do the on-line part of the lesson. As bringing technology into learning situations is such an important factor in education, I would try to find other sources of technology to use with the lesson in addition to a computer, such as cell phones, digital camera, MP3 player with voice recording capability and video games. For example, instead of downloading and printing outline maps from the Internet if computers were not available, I would bring in physical maps and the students could copy and color them. We could use a Flip camera for students to record themselves and their map (or mine) to construct a digital story of where their family immigrated from and relate it to information they were able to gain from readings. This is an inexpensive way to engage students in the use of technology in a Social Studies lesson. Research supports the use of technology with homeless students, when and where available, to promote the implementation of problem based learning strategies. Opportunities to access, analyze, and report information as well as involve students in projects on the Internet helps students develop skills using a significant problem-solving tool. For homeless students with no or limited access to technology, teachers are encouraged to use additional orientation to Internet access options (Reed-Victor and Stronge). Finally, I would also pair homeless students with regular students as peer tutoring can furnish another interactive learning strategy that incorporates peer modeling, skill practice and supportive feedback, among other things (Walther-Thomas, Korinek, & Williams, 1996, as cited in RESA).====

