Have you been looking for a professional organization committed to the educational issues that face students experiencing homelessness? The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) is a national grassroots association whose membership includes educators, parents, advocates, researchers, and service providers; however, anyone interested in ensuring that children in homeless situations have their rightful opportunity for academic achievement and overall success is invited to join.

Through Barbara Duffield, NAEHCY’s policy director, the Association works to educate legislators on Capitol Hill about the importance of supporting the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program. Barbara also works with a number of national advocacy programs to develop collaborative activities to strengthen services for children and youth in homeless and high poverty situations. Most recently, Barbara’s efforts to forge a relationship between NAEHCY and the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH)1 led to her joining that organization’s board of directors. One of the major goals of this partnership is to bring educators and homeless service providers together to develop comprehensive, effective strategies that address homelessness and its impact on communities, schools, parents, and most importantly, children and youth.

Largely as a result of NAEHCY’s grassroots efforts led by Barbara Duffield, many programs have intensified their requirements for serving children and youth in homeless situations. For example, the EHCY program requires that every school district in the county must have a homeless liaison to advocate on behalf of students in homeless situations. Another example is that all students who meet the definition of homelessness are to be granted immediate access to the free-and-reduced school breakfast and lunch program without having to complete any paperwork. And the recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, or “special education”) includes a significant number of requirements to ensure that the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness are met, such as expediting the evaluation process for students who change schools frequently, requiring the homeless liaison to be included in the student’s evaluation, and appointing a surrogate parent for unaccompanied youth within 30 days of their enrollment in school. Another noteworthy accomplishment for NAEHCY is its role in securing increased funding for the EHCY program from the US Department of Education. While many other education programs saw their funding decrease or worse, be completely eliminated, the EHCY program’s funding has steadily increased. While still not fully funded at the $70 million authorized for the program, that figure is much closer to full funding now than it was a few years ago.

In 2003, NAEHCY became the fiscal agent for the LeTendre Education Fund, which was established in 1998 in memory of André E. LeTendre, husband of Mary Jean LeTendre, former Director of Compensatory Education for the U.S. Department of Education. The LeTendre Education Fund for Homeless Children provides scholarship assistance to students who are homeless or have experienced homelessness. To date, of the 56 students who have received $1,000 scholarships, 11 of them have been from Texas. The scholarship award ceremony has become a highlight of the annual NAEHCY conference

NAEHCY serves as the voice and the social conscience for the education of children and youth who are enduring homelessness. Members have access to a wealth of information related to homeless education through its website, a monthly newsletter, myriad resources, training seminars, and an annual conference. The next conference, hosted in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education, will be held October 22–25, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the theme Everyone Believing – Every Child Achieving, the conference features workshops and keynote presentations by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves and Dr. Lorraine Monroe. Dr. Reeves is chairman and founder of the Center for Performance Assessment, an international organization dedicated to improving student achievement and educational equity. Through its long-term relationships with school systems, the Center helps educators and school leaders to improve student achievement through practical and constructive approaches to standards, assessment, and accountability. Dr. Monroe is the founder of the Lorraine Monroe Leadership Institute. She was also the founding principal of the renowned Frederick Douglass Academy, a highly effective middle school and high school located in Central Harlem. Dr. Monroe is a national and international consultant who advocates the role of leadership in creating effective schools.

Proposals are now being accepted for the 17th Annual NAEHCY Conference. For complete information and submission forms, visit their website.2 Proposals will be accepted until March 1, 2005.

Why wait? Become a member of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth today, and gain access to their storehouse of indispensable information and resources. You and the children you serve will reap inestimable benefits.

See you in New Orleans!