Educator Resources

The NCHE has published these common signs to help identify students experiencing homelessness.

Posters and brochures are available in several languages on our website. They are downloadable and/or you can order copies directly from us.

Email: Ailin Mendoza: amendoza@measinc.

This brief from the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) provides an overview of issues within the field of homeless education, and is particularly helpful for introducing new people to the field or introducing the issue to those outside of the field.

As the school year begins, State Education Commissioner Maryellen Elia outlines the educational rights of students in temporary housing and emphasizes the important role that administrators play in creating a positive school climate that is safe and supportive to these students.

What does trauma-sensitivity look like in practice? This two-page resource from NYS-TEACHS provides suggested strategies and actions for implementing the three categories of trauma-sensitivity in a school setting:

1. Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment

2. Fostering Secure Attachments

3. Strengthening Non-Cognitive Skills.

This is a simple and helpful “how-to” resource for your own reference or to hand out to school/district staff during a trauma-sensitive schools training.

This document from schoolhouseconnection.com summarizes some of the McKinney-Vento Act’s core provisions. It is also available in several different languages.

NYS TEACHS

This tip sheet from NYS-TEACHS provides information about when it is appropriate to share a student’s housing information with school/district staff. It also provides tips for “how” to share that information while still respecting the student’s privacy.

This brief from Project HOPE, Virginia’s Education of Homeless Children and Youth program housed at the College of William and Mary, discusses what schools can do to support the education of highly mobile students.

NYS TEACHS

Read some tips and techniques for teachers that help create a classroom environment that is safe and supportive for students in temporary housing including sensitivity to the stress and trauma that often accompanies homelessness.

Schoolhouse Connection

For many students experiencing homelessness, school is the only place of stability in their lives. Teachers play a crucial role in creating a classroom environment that is safe and supportive for all students, especially those who are highly mobile and have experienced the trauma that often accompanies homelessness. Here, we provide information and strategies that teachers and support staff can use to support the educational success of students experiencing homelessness.

NYS-TEACHS

If you are new to the concept of trauma-sensitivity or want a deeper understanding of how to implement each of trauma-sensitive strategies outlined in our “Matrix of Trauma-Sensitive Strategies for School Success,” this toolkit can help.

This detailed toolkit from NYS-TEACHS provides suggestions for HOW to apply various trauma-sensitive strategies and WHY they are necessary to improve academic outcomes for students in temporary housing.