The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides grant funding to school districts in Pennsylvania that have a significant homeless student population through the Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. The School District of Philadelphia’s ECYEH office seeks to educate members of the community about homeless students’ rights and the resources available to them through training sessions for school staff members, and separate workshops for parents and teens. Also with the help of Title I funding, various services are provided to homeless students, including uniform vouchers, transportation passes, and after school/summer programs. The District’s ECYEH office established three priorities for the implementation of this grant:

• Improving and maintaining the computerized tracking of homeless students
• Ensuring continued school enrollment for homeless students as they await placement in permanent housing
• Increasing outreach to homeless and displaced teenagers and families who are living in doubled-up arrangements

Important findings include:

• Overall, the District’s ECYEH program was successful in providing services and training to students experiencing homelessness during the 2011-12 school year. The total number of students identified was consistent with previous years.
• The percentage of identified students receiving services exceeded the percentage of students receiving services reported in the state-wide ECYEH 2010-11 report.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Education found the program to be in compliance with all 19 program requirements during their annual monitoring visit.
• The District ECYEH student achievement gap was consistent with that reported by the state-wide 2010-11 evaluation.

Based on findings of this report, it is recommended that school-based initiatives are enhanced to better reach and serve students. Educating and empowering school-based staff requires District endorsement through opportunities to present at District-wide principal meetings and trainings.

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