Resources

» Fact Sheets

These fact sheets have been developed by THEO in collaboration with the National Center for Homeless Education, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. Each of them addresses a specific part of the requirements in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act signed into law in January 2002 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. Each of them provides a summary of the applicable part of the law, guidance to understanding the law's requirements, and practical guidelines for implementing the provisions of the law.

Unless otherwise indicated, the files below are PDF files.

 

Some of the resources are available to you, free of charge, in print or media format, including the Spanish and English posters and brochures, the THEO Training Packet, the recently distributed DVD with homeless videos for district and service-provider agency staff, and several of the unaccompanied youth tool kits. To order these materials, click here.

 

Please note:
Documents listed below with block lettered titles are the ones included in the complete THEO Training Packet used for on-site trainings.

Documents with indented and italicized titles indicate documents with more in-depth information that are found here on the website only.

 

Click here to download the COMPLETE THEO TRAINING PACKET
- Revised September 21, 2012 (7.8MB; 168 pages)

 

Click here to download the Cover and Table of Contents for the THEO Training Packet (324KB, 4 pages)

Jump directly to the Fact Sheets by clicking on one of the following categories:

Awareness Materials

Homeless Education: An Introduction to the Issues (1.1mb)

Domestic Violence, Homelessness, and Children's Education (5mb)

Addressing the Effects of Trauma on Children and Families in Homeless Situations: The Importance of Decision-Making (836kb)

Tips for Helping Students Recovering from Traumatic Events (724kb)

Helping Traumatized Children Learn (1.9 mb)

The Hidden Costs of the Housing Crisis: The Impact of Housing on Young Children’s Odds of Success (1.4mb)

The Impact of the Mortgage Crisis on Children and Their Education (446 kb)

Administrative Tools

What LEA Administrators Must Know (1.3mb)

Local Educational Agency Liaisons (720kb)

Retention Schedule for Records of Public School Districts (Texas Library and Archive Commission) (274 kb)

What Service Providers Should Know (4.6mb)

The McKinney-Vento Act (2001 Reauthorization) At A Glance (879kb)

Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Education Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations (404kb)

Educating Homeless Children and Youth: The Guide to Their Rights (568kb)

Summary of McKinney-Vento Act and Title I Provisions (903kb)

Identification of Homeless Students and School Enrollment

Who is Homeless? (1.7mb)

Summary of Homeless Definition and Child-Youth Provisions in the HEARTH Act, the HUD McKinney-Vento Act Reauthorization (156kb)

HUD Definition of Homelessness (428kb)

Unaccompanied Youth (1.1mb)

Using What We Know: Supporting the Education of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (544kb)

Identifying Students in Homeless Situations (603kb)

Identification and Verification Manual: Making the Call (Volunteer Manual) (300kb)

 

PEIMS Homeless Student and Unaccompanied Youth Indicators - New for 2012-13 school year
The following documents replace the student residency questionnaire used in the past. The sample templates are suggestions that may be incorporated into LEA student enrollment documents.

Frequently Asked Questions on the PEIMS Homeless Status and Unaccompanied Youth Status Indicators (131kb)

Instructions for the PEIMS Homeless Status Indicator (203kb)

PEIMS Homeless Status Indicator Template English only; Spanish will be uploaded soon. (pdf 115 kb); (Word 199 kb)

Instructions for the PEIMS Unaccompanied Youth Status Indicator (103kb)

PEIMS Unaccompanied Youth Status Indicator Template English only; Spanish will be uploaded soon. (pdf 97 kb); (Word 194 kb)

Instructions for the Optional Items on the PEIMS Homeless Status and Unaccompanied Youh Status Indicators (90kb)

Region 10 ESC has developed a short online training video on the process and criteria for using the new PEIMS indicators. The video may be accessded at www.region10.org/mvh.

Checklist for Identifying Students Experiencing Homelessness (68kb)

Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act (1.2mb)

Supporting School Success for Homeless Children
of Veterans and Active Duty Military Members (889kb)

Confirming Eligibility: Do's and Don'ts for Local Liaisons (943kb)

Confirming Eligibility: Do's and Don'ts for Local Districts (580kb)

School Enrollment (1mb)

Prompt and Proper Placement: Enrolling Students Without Records (1mb)

Immediate Enrollment: How Local Liaisons Can Keep Homeless Students Safe (563kb)

Immediate Enrollment: How Schools Can Keep Homeless Students Safe (643kb)

Application for Birth Certificate (English) (320kb)

Application for Birth Certificate (Spanish) (3.2mb)

School Selection (600kb)

When Legal Guardians Are Not Present: Enrolling Students on Their Own (2.1mb)

USDE FERPA definitions (384kb)

FERPA and Homelessness- NAEHCY Toolkit (384kb)

Texas-Specific Enrollment Resources

School Selection Provisions from the McKinney-Vento Act and the Texas Education Code (418kb)

Checklist for McKinney-Vento School Selection Provisions: School of Origin or Local Attendance Zone? (68kb)

TEA Correspondence from General Counsel David Anderson on Attendance, Admission, Enrollment Records and tuition Released August 3, 2012 (258kb)

Excerpts from 2011–2012 TEA Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (448kb)

Primary Source Quotes of Texas State Law (637kb)

Address Confidentiality Program (1mb)

 

Delivery of Services

Transportation

Transportation Fact Sheet (1.2mb)

Transportation Q&A / Compulsory School Attendance (368kb)

Questions and Answers on School Selection, School of Origin, and Transportation (20kb)

Transportation for Homeless Children and Youth: Strategies for Rural Districts (388kb)

Child Nutrition

U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Memos (236kb)

Child Nutrition Brief (692kb)

Immunizations

Texas Attorney General's Ruling (736kb)

Consent to Treatment for Minors (24kb)

Title I

Title I and Homelessness (636kb)

Title I Questions and Answers (88kb)

USDE Guidance on the Use of Title I, Part A ARRA Funds for Homeless Students (88kb)

Four Methods for Determining Title I, Part A, Set-Asides (484kb)

Special Education

IDEA Provisions for Children with Disabilities Experiencing Homelessness (816kb)

IDEA: Reauthorization 2004 At a Glance (516kb)

Questions and Answers on Special Education and Homelessness (220kb)

Navigating the Intersections of IDEA and McKinney-Vento: A Problem-Solving Process (1.4mb)

Foster Care

Foster Care and Substitute Care (482kb)

Foster Care Education Chart (41kb)

TEA Letter: Importance of Maintaining Educational Stability for Children and Youth in the Foster
Care System (128kb)

When Working Together Works:
Academic Success for Students in Out-of-Home Care (426kb)

Clearing the Path to School Success for Students in Out-of-Home Care (72kb)

New Help for Children Raised by Grandparents and Other Relatives (1.2mb)

 

Dispute Resolution

Dispute Resolution Process for Children in Homeless Situations (91kb)

Dispute Resolution (540kb)

Sample Dispute Resolution Notification Letter (1.3mb)

 

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

Helping Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Access College Financial Aid (FAFSA Fix) (212kb)

McKinney-Vento-FAFSA Round-Up Week Resources (778kb)

TEA Letter: Texas College & Career online resource (81kb)

Income Tax and the FAFSA for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (208kb)

Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care (208kb)

Head Start

Head Start and McKinney-Vento Provisions Side-by-Side (152kb)

Head Start Reauthorization (468kb)

Head Start and Early Head Start for Children in Out-of-Home Care (92kb)

Children At-Risk in the Child Welfare system: Collaborations to Promote School Readiness (1.2mb)

Guidance and Implementation Resources

Policy / Guidance

Checklist for Local Educational Agency Services (180kb)

Draft TEA Guidance for the Implementation of Title X, Part C (592kb)

USDE Non-Regulatory Guidance for the EHCY Program (384kb)

Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Policy Update (852kb)

Housing

Housing Agency and School District Collaborations (1.9mb)

Housing + High School = Success: Schools and Communities Uniting to House Unaccompanied Youth ( kb)

Housing for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care (312kb)

Collaboration

Programs for Children and Youth in a Community Context (144kb)

LGBTQ Youth

National Recommended Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Homeless Youth ( mb)

Incidence and Vulnerability of LGBTQ Homeless Youth - Research Brief (280kb)

A National Approach to Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Homeless Youth (144kb)

Migrant and Immigrant Youth

Immigration and Schools:
Supporting Success for Undocumented
and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (1.5mb)

Migrant Children and Youths Experiencing Homelessness (254kb)

Immigrant and Homeless: Information for Local Liaisons (2.4MB)

School District Title III Programs and Community Agencies (455kb)

Discipline/Behavior

ACLU Talking Points: The School-To-Prison Pipeline (412kb)

University Interscholastic League (UIL)

Overview of Eligibility Provisions for Children and Youth in Homeless Situations (3.1MB)

Curriculum/Program Development

Online Resources for Identifying Evidence-Based Out-of-School-Time Programs: A User's Guide (456kb)

Kids Without Homes Toolkit: A School District Responds The Kids Without Homes Toolkit was developed to raise awareness about homelessness and to provide compliance training for the McKinney-Vento Act.