For some kids, it's easy to see that be the root of their educational problems might be their home, mainly because they don't have one:
Nearly two decades after Congress passed a law requiring schools to help homeless students obtain an uninterrupted education, school systems continue to grapple with ways to provide them with a stable environment - even as they identify more children as homeless.
Since the 2001-2002 school year, state officials report a 56 percent increase in the number of homeless children in Maryland, though some of this jump may be due to better reporting.
Although school officials seek to find and assist such students, some children are overlooked as a result of poor training, a lack of resources and, sometimes, outright insensitivity, according to advocates for the homeless.
At the same time, schools are coming under more scrutiny. School districts face potential lawsuits over their treatment of homeless children, as well as federal mandates that such students fare well academically. This fall, states will be required for the first time to report how many homeless students are meeting minimum requirements on standardized reading and math tests. At stake are millions in federal grants for homeless education.
Maryland reports over 8,700 students as being homeless, although that includes students whose families are living with another family due to economic hardship, something that may be more common with young immigrant families that are nevertheless intact. Over 5,100 of these students are in the Baltimore area. I was unaware that the NCLB Act strengthened the existing McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, but now there seems to be more guidance as to the rights of homeless students and the responsibilities schools have towards them:
For example, a school must allow a homeless child to enroll, even if he or she lacks the necessary paperwork such as proof of residency. School districts are also required to transport the student from a family's temporary lodgings to his or her original school - sometimes even across county lines - whenever it is feasible and in the child's best interest.
And school districts are required to help homeless students succeed academically. To do this, many provide after-school tutoring, summer camps, school supplies and clothes.
That could be a fairly substantial strain on a school, even if the money comes from federal sources. While some schools have been clearly out of line in the past (trying to block homeless students from taking tests, or even from enrolling), other schools have gone to great lengths to help out the kids who need it:
Anne Arundel County school officials go to great lengths to avoid embarrassing homeless children. When they provide them with free backpacks, for example, they choose different colors or styles so that the youngsters will not stand out.
In Baltimore County, officials arrange summer field trips for homeless students - to the bowling alley, minor-league baseball games and the zoo - so that the children may have vacation stories to share on the first day of school.
Baltimore City schools offer a six-week summer camp to keep homeless children from languishing on the streets. It provides job training for the older students; for the rest, it offers academic and physical activities and two meals a day.
This is a lot for schools to be doing. I realize it's necessary, but it's very troubling just how necessary it is in some places. For all the complaining we tend to do on here about government schools, for some kids, it's the most stable environment they've ever known.
Posted by kswygert at July 7, 2004 10:32 AM