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Christina DukesProgram Specialist, NCHE
Marc FortneyProgram Manager, CBOCES
Jan MooreProgram Specialist, NCHE
Who are Immigrants? Who are Refugees? What cultural issues should we understand
to serve immigrant and refugee students better?
Which immigrant or refugee students are eligible for McKinney-Vento services? For what services?
What local collaborations can I build to serve immigrant and refugee students?
Definition: A person who voluntarily leaves one country to settle in anotherUmbrella term for those who go to live in another country for a variety of reasons
Definition includes one “…who is unable or unwilling to return… because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution…” Immigration and Nationality Act Sec. 101(a)(42)
Subpopulation of immigrants (about 10% annually)
Sponsored by a national voluntary agency (VOLAG) that works through local refugee resettlement agencies
Provided core services (housing, food, basic orientation, school registration for children, etc.) by resettlement agency during the first 90 days
State resettlement patterns are generally dominated by certain ethnic communities
Family conflicts Long or difficult work schedules Financial pressures Overcrowded housing
Clash of cultural values Immigrants and natives Immigrant parents and their children
Can result in PTSD, anxiety, grief, depression, and domestic violence
80% are US-born citizens Less likely to receive public benefits Significantly more likely to live in poverty Twice as likely to be in fair or poor health At risk for slower cognitive and language
development At risk for poorer academic performance in
school
Differences in language, culture, and learning styles Separation from parents and siblings Deficits in previous education High mobility Lack of parental materials in native languages Few classes for students who must work full-time to
help their families Undocumented parents may:
Fear deportation; keep older children home from school to care for younger siblings
Be unable to arrange alternative living arrangements if arrested/deported
Lack of knowledge and understanding of U.S. educational processes
Cultural beliefs about the role of families in their children’s schooling
School staff misperceptions Language differences Time constraints Child care needs Transportation problems
Help parents understand how schools work and what’s expected of them
Provide school staff PD opportunities to strengthen skills in working with immigrant families
Get the school principal involved Communicate often with families (in their
native language) Hold informal meetings to seek
parents’ perspectives
Make outreach a priority Provide translator and written materials in
families’ native languages Schedule meetings around parents’ schedules Work with volunteers or community-based
organizations to help with child care and transportation
Organize parents who are actively involved at school to communicate with immigrant families and encourage their participation
It takes time to build trust Many immigrant families have had frustrating
experiences with schools so they may be unwilling to fully engage until the school proves its commitment
Start with small steps; relevant school- or community-sponsored activities can serve as a gateway to other forms of family involvement
Don’t be deterred by skepticism, criticism, or low initial participation
Assessment questions for community resources: Are culturally sensitive resources, materials, and
services available? Are there specialized services for immigrant
children? How will immigration status affect ability to obtain
services? Are services appropriate for victims of domestic
violence? Is transportation offered? Are there culturally appropriate substance abuse
programs that provide living facilities for children with parents/caregivers in treatment?
No matter their race, ethnicity, culture, or
income, most families have high aspirations and concerns for their
children’s success
Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping
grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
Living in emergency or transitionalshelters
Abandoned in hospitals Awaiting foster care placement
Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
Migratory children living in the circumstances described above
Unaccompanied youth living in thecircumstances described above
McKinney-Vento eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis by examining the living arrangement of each student.
Some instances will be clear-cut; others will require further inquiry and then a judgment call.
If the student’s living arrangement does not meet all three criteria (fixed, regular, and, adequate), the student is considered eligible
The examples of homeless situations listed in the definition address some of the more common situations of homelessness; the listof examples is not exclusive.
If there is a disagreement about whether the student meets the McKinney-Vento definition of a homeless child or youth (between the parents/youth and the school), the state’s dispute resolution process should be followed.
Under the dispute resolution process: The parent/guardian/unaccompanied youth should be
referred to the local liaison for assistance with the appeal process.
The student must be enrolled immediately in the requested school.
The student must be provided with all services to which McKinney-Vento eligible students are entitled (e.g. transportation, Title I services, free meals).
Enrollment must continue until the dispute is resolved.
Use an enrollment questionnaire for all students; this will assist with identifying eligible students (see www.serve.org/nche/forum/eligibility.phpfor sample questionnaires).
If the form indicates a possible homeless situation, refer to the local liaison to determine eligibility.
Discuss the living arrangement with the family/student in a private place and with sensitivity.
Ask additional questions respectfully, as needed. (these are often very personal discussions for the family)
Avoid using the word “homeless”: some families may want to avoid the stigma; others may not consider themselves homeless and yet they might be eligible.
Inform the family about the benefits of eligibility, including immediate enrollment and the provision of services.
(FERPA) Avoid contacting persons outside the school system to probe for more information regarding the family’s living arrangement; see NCHE’s Confirming Eligibility brief at www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/verif_ll.pdf
Does the student’s living arrangement fit into one of the examples of homelessness in the law?
If not, would the student qualify for services because he/she lives in another type of living arrangement that does not meet the fixed, regular, and adequate standard?
Use the information/questions contained in the Determining Eligibility brief to assist in answering these questions.
Contact your State Coordinator for Homeless Education; visit www.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php
Contact the NCHE Helpline at 800-308-2145 or [email protected]
“What do the terms fixed, regular, and adequate mean?”
Working definitions: Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject to
change Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or
consistent basis (e.g. nightly) Adequate: Sufficient for meeting both the
physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments
Use the sample questions on pages 5-6 of the Determining Eligibility brief
Legislative wording: “Sharing the housingof other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason”
Questions: Why did the family move in together? Crisis or by mutual
choice as a plan for mutual benefit? How permanent is the living arrangement intended to be? Is the living arrangement fixed, regular, and adequate? See pages 2-3 of the Determining Eligibility brief
for a discussing of shared housing; use questions on pages 5-6, also
Huh?
But… Are all doubled-up situations automatically
homeless? Is there a limit on how long a doubled-up child
should be considered homeless? Are both doubled-up parties homeless?
The McKinney-Vento definesunaccompanied youth as a child or youth“not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian”
An unaccompanied youth’s living arrangement must meet the Act’s definition of homeless for him/her to qualify for McKinney-Vento services
There is no lower age limit for unaccompanied youth; the upper age limit (as with all McKinney-Vento eligible students) is your state’s upper age limit for public education (usually 21, sometimes older for IDEA)
A youth can be eligible regardless of whether he/she was asked to leave the home or chose to leave; remember that sometimes there is “more than meets the eye” for youth’s home life situations
Huh?
No official federal or state definition Common practices in defining “substandard
housing” Evaluated according to community norms Defined as a building not up to local building
code Common indicators
o Inoperable indoor plumbingo Nonworking, inadequate and/or unsafe electrical serviceo Inadequate or unsafe source of heato No working kitcheno Unit has been declared unfit for habitation by a government
agencyo Is overcrowded : Consider any “occupants per square foot”
guidelines in local/state building codes
Huh?
Patricia and her son, Luis, showed up mid-year at your school to enroll Luis, saying they’ve just moved in with relatives that live in the area. You suspect Luis might qualify for McKinney-Vento services, but you’re not sure.What questions would you ask to determine if Luis is eligible?Would you qualify Luis as eligible for McKinney-Vento services? Why or why not?
High Plains of CO is the richest agricultural empire east of the Rocky Mountains (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Farming, dairies, and meat packing Familiar w/ high mobility of immigrants Newcomers experiencing the refugee
phenomenon
Students arriving w/ no housing and little to no resources
Doubled-upUnaccompanied youthSecondary migrants, according to their
resettling agenciesExhausted TANF, food stamps…
We desired to be progressiveHired language- and culture-specific
interpreters and translatorsOf course, people & students were warm,
thankful, interesting, smart, persevering…Barriers of racism and unfamiliarityNexus w/ government contracting
resettlement agencies, such as Lutheran Family Services
By building trust relationships:Evolved our cultural proficiency
framework, such as language, respect, advocacy, social achievement events…
Empowered the people in building the East African Community Center & the Morgan County African Center
Christina Dukes, Program SpecialistNational Center for Homeless Education
Marc Fortney, Program ManagerCentennial BOCES
Jan Moore, Program SpecialistNational Center for Homeless Education
