Serving America's Homeless Students
Some school districts are doing a great job of serving the population of homeless school age children located in their areas. While it is difficult in many instances to even quantify the number of students who would be considered homeless, schools are working more closely with local social service organizations and neighborhood partners to determine how to identify and reach out to families and children who may be impacted. Sifting through the social and personal embarrassment that parents and students may be experiencing makes it harder to do outreach. Further, the fact that homeless families may have to relocate several times during a school year places another burden on them and schools, as they do their best to maintain a degree of stability in their home lives. Schools are discovering that if they can partner with parents to achieve a degree of academic consistency for the children, then perhaps they can avoid the kinds of emotional and social challenges that can often accompany the homeless life situation. With the help of willing classroom teachers, school counselors, social workers, and community volunteers, adequate food, clothing, supplies, and transportation are being provided to fill the gaps in the lives of the children. Bus passes are being provided at no charge, clothes are being donated by retailers, and more tutoring sessions are being made available to the students.
Even though homeless students may require special intervention and financial assistance in some non-academic areas of their lives, schools are somehow managing to respond well enough without stretching their budgets to thinly. As counselors and teachers take extra steps to visit families or place additional phone calls to maintain open lines of communication with the parents, they are choosing to use their personal time, resources, and space. Without this level of personal sacrifice by so many, the academic and other needs of homeless students could not be addressed effectively. So much of what is well and good about public schooling is accomplished through means of intervention and acts for which teaching professionals are not compensated. Good will and professionalism of this kind exhibited by classroom teachers often make the difference in many students' academic lives. As the face of the American homeless family changes and expands to include many who never imagined they would lose their homes due to foreclosures or job losses, schools are going to be called upon to intervene in the lives of students and their families in order to provide a measure of normalcy and consistency in their school lives. Given that the regular school day can represent balance and stability for youth who happen to be homeless, districts and their administrators must continue to develop action plans that will allow them to share resources and collaborate around activities that are proven to be effective in responding to the needs of our homeless student population.
Even though homeless students may require special intervention and financial assistance in some non-academic areas of their lives, schools are somehow managing to respond well enough without stretching their budgets to thinly. As counselors and teachers take extra steps to visit families or place additional phone calls to maintain open lines of communication with the parents, they are choosing to use their personal time, resources, and space. Without this level of personal sacrifice by so many, the academic and other needs of homeless students could not be addressed effectively. So much of what is well and good about public schooling is accomplished through means of intervention and acts for which teaching professionals are not compensated. Good will and professionalism of this kind exhibited by classroom teachers often make the difference in many students' academic lives. As the face of the American homeless family changes and expands to include many who never imagined they would lose their homes due to foreclosures or job losses, schools are going to be called upon to intervene in the lives of students and their families in order to provide a measure of normalcy and consistency in their school lives. Given that the regular school day can represent balance and stability for youth who happen to be homeless, districts and their administrators must continue to develop action plans that will allow them to share resources and collaborate around activities that are proven to be effective in responding to the needs of our homeless student population.
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