Title I Part CMigrant Education Program

Supporting the Needs of Migrant Children and Youth in Georgia

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Presented by the Georgia Department of Education:John Wight, MEP Program ManagerIsrael Cortez, MEP Region 2 Coordinator

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What do you know about migrant

children and youth?

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Homeless and Migrant ConnectionIndividuals whose nighttime residence is NOT:

– Fixed—stationary, permanent, and not subject to change– Regular—used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis– Adequate—sufficient for meeting both the physical and

psychological needs typically met in the home

Migrant children and youth are at risk…

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Homeless and Migrant Connection

The Homeless definition includes children and youth who are:•sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason;•living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due the lack of alternative accommodations;•living in emergency or transitional shelters;•abandoned in hospitals;•awaiting foster care placement;•living in 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/train stations, or similar settings;•migratory – who qualify as homeless living in circumstances described above.

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What is the Migrant Education Program?

MEP History

1960 “Harvest of Shame” documentary aired on Thanksgiving Night www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7087479n

1965 President Lyndon Johnson “Great Society Initiative”

1966 Migrant Education Program included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

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Program Purpose

The purpose of the MEP in Georgia (and the United States) is to ensure that migrant children fully benefit from the same free public education provided to all children and that the unmet education-related needs resulting from their migrant lifestyle are met.

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Supplemental Program

The MEP is entirely a supplemental program, meaning that funds can be used only to supplement, but in no case supplant, State, local or other non-federal funds.

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Migrant Education Program Unique Feature

• Before a migrant child may be served or counted for funding in the program, his or her eligibility must be documented on a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). These COEs are completed through face-to-face interviews performed by trained and qualified LEA and state staff, and they are certified by the state.

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Federal Definition of “migratory child”

1. Age: The child is younger than 22; AND2. Educational level: The child has not graduated from high school or does not

hold a high school equivalency certificate (GED). If the child is too young to attend school–sponsored educational programs, is old enough to benefit from an organized instructional program; AND

3. Move: The child and worker move for economic necessity across School District lines to seek or obtain, or accompany a parent or guardian, to seek or obtain qualifying work; AND

4. The time of the move: The move occurred in the preceding 36 months; AND5. The purpose of the move: was to seek or obtain qualifying work or any kind of

work and obtain qualifying work soon after the move. Qualifying work is work in agriculture, agricultural related, fishing, or fishing related, that is either seasonal or temporary work. The work must be performed only for wages or personal subsistence.

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Areas of Concern as identified by the U.S. Department of Education

• Health• Educational Continuity• Instructional Time• English Language Development• School Engagement• Educational Support in the Home• Access to Services

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Access to Services

• Isolation• Transportation• Language• “Newness”• Immigration issues• Need to work….

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Special Educational Needs of Migrant Children and Youth

• Gaps in learning resulting from repeated moves

• Credit accrual• Continuity of education from state-to-state

and district-to-district.• Language barriers• Emergency health and medical issues

impacting academic performance

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Types of MEP Supplemental Services

• Classroom support – inclusion and pull-out• After school, intersession, and summer

programs• Tutoring, including home tutoring• English language acquisition assistance• College and career preparation• Health Services (when they impact academic

achievement)

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Priority for Service

• Program requirement– Identify student needs– Identify those failing or risk of failing– Identify those with repeated moves as well as

failing– Create supplemental support based on the needs

of the individuals

• Provide services to those migrant students first, and then to other migrant students

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Preschool Migrant Children

• Training for parents to focus on educational components in the home– EXITO and parental engagement

• Access to preschool and pre-K programs in the community– Support within the school building– Support at home– Telemon, Headstart, GA PreK , other PreK Program

• Faith Based, Migrant Headstart and others

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Out-of-School Youth (OSY)

• Identify needs• English Language classes• School enrollment• GED Classes• Health Education and Fairs• iPods and MP3 Players

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A Modern Approach for a Modern World: Educational Technology in

Migrant Education• Portable Learning

Project (iPods, MP3s, etc.)

• Taking advantage of modern solutions that offer new instructional opportunities for OSY

• Appealing, convenient, self-paced instruction

Characteristics of OSY• Highly Mobile • Limited English Proficient (LEP)• Not interested in traditional schooling• Adults not youth• No interest in, & no time for, long-term programs• Undocumented: few are able to rely on public assistance• Unmet health/social needs• Disengaged /alienated from schools/learning because of bad experiences

& lack of success• Family responsibilities: their families depend on them for income or they

have children

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Needs of Homeless Migrant Youth

• Support Services• Health Information and Education

– Poor nutrition, housing, & sanitary conditions– Limited health screenings

• Education – credit recovery• English Classes• Access to Social Services• Child Care and Transportation

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Coordination of Services

• School age children – speak with Homeless liaison at the school

• Coordinate for services for the family– Local churches or ministries– Department of Children Services– Migrant Health– GA Dept of Community Health– Telamon

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Coordination of Services

• Youth not connected to a school– Work with grower, farmer, crew leader to let

them know of a youth looking for work and a place to live

– Department of Labor– Telamon Corporation– Local Churches and Ministries– Migrant Health– GA Dept of Community health

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Resources• Public Policy Institute of California: Out of School Immigrant Youth

www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_407LHR.pdf• Strategies, Opportunities, Solutions for Out-of-School Youth www.osymigrant.org • High School Equivalent Program www.hepcamp.com • PASS Center www.migrant.net/pass • Pew Hispanic Center www.pewhispanic.org• National Center for Farmworker Health www.ncfh.org• U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Migrant Education

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/ome/index.html • GaDOE MEP

http://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Pages/Migrant-Education-Program.aspx

• National Migrant Education Hotline 1-800-234-8848

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Contact InformationJohn WightProgram Manager Migrant Education and Refugee

ProgramsGeorgia Department of Educationjwight@doe.k12.ga.us

Israel CortezRegion 2 Coordinator Migrant Education ProgramGeorgia Department of Educationjcortez@doe.k12.ga.us

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