State Survey

State Survey Questions

This survey is part of an evaluation of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program as authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title VII, Subtitle B, as amended (McKinney-Vento Act). Its purpose is to get your perspective, as state coordinator, on implementation of the program in your state. The survey will ask about the collection and use of data on homeless children and youth, the barriers facing homeless children and youth, and efforts to address those barriers. As a recipient of an EHCY Program grant, your participation in the survey is required under ESEA, Sec. 9804(a) (4). The findings will provide useful information on the program to the United States Department of Education, practitioners, and others.

Responses to this survey will be used for statistical purposes only. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific state, district, or individual. The evaluator will not provide information that identifies a subject, district, or state to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. Every effort will be made to maintain confidentiality of the information collected.

We estimate that this survey will take approximately 35 minutes to complete. You may fill out the survey all at once, or in multiple sittings.  If you fill out the survey in multiple sittings, use the link provided to you in the email from [SENDER] to return to the survey. You will automatically go to the last page of the survey where you left off. 

Please read and follow the directions for responding to the survey items.  You can use the scroll bar on the right-hand side of the page to navigate among survey items.  Click on the “Next” button at the bottom of the page to proceed through the survey.  Note that you can review and/or edit your responses to previous items by clicking on the “Back” button at the bottom of each page.  When you have completed the survey, click “Submit” Once you have submitted your survey, you will not be able to change your responses.

Thank you for taking this survey.

Background

1.) How long have you been your state’s Coordinator for the Education for the Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program?

_______________Years (If less than one year, write “Less than one year.”)

2.) How many hours per week do you officially work at your sponsoring agency?

___________hours

3.) How many hours per week do you officially work as the State Coordinator of the EHCY Program?

_____________hours

4.) How many paid staff members, including yourself, work for the Office of the Coordinator of Education of Homeless Children and Youth? Please indicate the number of positions in full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Include full- and part-time staff, contracted workers, administrators, support staff, etc. (For example, a full-time employee working full-time for the Office of the Coordinator would be counted as 1 FTE; a full-time employee working half-time for the Office of the Coordinator would be counted as .5 FTE, etc.)

Number of full-time equivalent staff_____________

5A.) Among the responsibilities assigned to the State Coordinator, on which do you spend the most time? Rank up to three of the following responsibilities so that "1" is the one you spend the most time on, "2" is the one you spend the second most time on, and "3" is the one you spend the third most time on.

5B.) Regardless of how much time you spend on each responsibility, which three are the most important to achieving the goal of McKinney-Vento ( i.e., to reduce the barriers that homeless children and youth face enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school)? Rank up to three of the following responsibilities so that "1" is the most important responsibility, "2" is the second most important responsibility, and "3" is the third most important responsibility.

Responsibilities	A.) Rank up to THREE responsibilities on which you spend the most time	B.) Rank up to THREE of the most important responsibilities
Gathering information on the problems faced by homeless children and youth, the progress of the state educational agency (SEA) and districts in addressing those problems, and the success of McKinney-Vento programs in allowing homeless children and youth to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school
Providing to the U.S. Department of Education (ED), upon request, a report containing the information that ED determines is necessary to assess the educational needs of homeless children and youth
Coordinating with other organizations and agencies (e.g., state social service agencies, legal advocates, child development and preschool program personnel, local liaisons, community-based organizations, and groups representing homeless children and youth) to provide and improve services to homeless children and youth
Raising awareness and understanding among districts of the McKinney-Vento legislative requirements and the role of the district liaison and providing technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one assistance, training, providing information, etc.) to districts to ensure that districts comply with the McKinney-Vento Act
Monitoring districts with and without McKinney-Vento subgrants
Resolving disputes (e.g., enrollment, provision of services, transportation disputes, etc.)
Ensuring the review and revisions of any state or local laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth
Other (Please specify.)

Collecting and Using Data

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 school year SY, unless otherwise specified.)

6.) Which of the following data on homeless children and youth does your office collect from non-subgrantee districts? (Select all that apply.)

Type of data on homeless children and youth	Collected from non-subgrantee districts
Number enrolled in public schools
Number enrolled in public schools, by subgroups (e.g., ethnicity, special education, gender)
Types of educational support services provided to homeless children and youth
Types of barriers that homeless children and youth face in a district
Number who took the state language arts assessment
Number, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state language arts assessment
Number who took the state math assessment
Number, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state math assessment

7.) Which of the following data on homeless children and youth does your office collect from McKinney-Vento subgrantee and/or non-subgrantee districts? (Select all that apply.)

Type of data on homeless children and youth	Collected from McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts	Collected from non-subgrantee districts
Attendance rates
Graduation and/or dropout rates
Mobility rates
Number of homeless preschool-aged children under the jurisdiction of the district

8.) Are the data your office collects on homeless children and youth linked with individual student outcome data, like scores on state assessments and school attendance, through the use of a unique student identifier (i.e., ID number for each student in the district or state data system)?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

9.) Does your office use any independent data sources on homelessness, such as data from the U.S. Census Bureau or the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with which to compare the data you receive from districts on the number of homeless children and youth enrolled in school?

Yes

No (Skip Question 10.)

10.) Which of the following sources does your office use to check the data that districts submit on the number of homeless children and youth enrolled in school? (Select all that apply.)

• Data from public housing (e.g. HMIS), health, or human service agency (Please specify.)

• Data from the U.S. Census Bureau (Please specify.)

• Data from other education programs (e.g., Head Start, Title I, etc.) (Please specify.)

• People in the district who work with the homeless population (e.g., staff from homeless shelters, homeless advocacy organizations)

• Other (Please specify.)

11.) In what ways does your office or others at the state level use the data collected on homeless children and youth? (Select all that apply.)

• Reporting to the U.S. Department of Education

• Designing technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one assistance, training, providing information, etc.) to help districts with meeting the requirements of McKinney-Vento

• Assisting districts with conducting their own needs assessment

• Monitoring district compliance with McKinney-Vento requirements

• Monitoring individual school compliance with McKinney-Vento requirements

• Applying for a grant (either federal or other)

• Communicating with elected officials

• Communicating with parents of homeless children and youth

• Communicating with community members (other than parents of homeless children and youth and elected officials)

• Other (Please specify.)

Barriers Homeless Children and Youth Face

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 SY, unless otherwise specified.)

We are interested in your insights on the significant barriers that homeless children and youth face in your state. A significant barrier is one that takes substantial time to resolve and/or frequently comes up as a barrier in multiple districts.

12.) Consider the current barriers to school success for homeless children and youth. Rank up to three of the following so that "1" is the most significant barrier, "2" is the second most significant barrier, and "3" is the third most significant barrier.

Possible barriers to school success	Rank up to THREE of the most significant barriers
Poor health/inadequate medical care resulting in poor school attendance
Frequent mobility from school to school
Lack of continuity in the classroom; frequent regrouping and rearranging of students within classrooms
Lack of awareness and sensitivity among school administrators and teachers to the specific educational needs of homeless children and youth
Inappropriate assessment, screening, and placement in school/lack of access to educational services for which homeless children and youth may be eligible (e.g., Title I, special education, gifted and talented programs)
Behavior problems
Lack of adequate school supplies
Inability to complete school assignments due to the lack of an appropriate (e.g., quiet) study area
Other (Please specify.)
Don’t know

Efforts to Raise Awareness

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 SY, unless otherwise specified.)

13.) What methods, if any, did your office use to assess the level of awareness among the following program staffs, agencies, or organizations of the needs of homeless children and youth and/or the statutory requirements of McKinney-Vento and Title I legislation relative to the education of homeless children and youth? (Select all that apply for each row.)

Methods for assessing awareness among:	Methods for assessing current awareness
	None	Survey	Interviews or focus groups	Informal conversations	Barrier tracking, or TA inquiries	Other (Please specify.)
Title I program staff
Other offices within the SEA (e.g., special education, assessment, etc.)
Other state government agencies
Districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program staff
HUD-funded staffs
Head Start program staff
Other (Please specify.)

14.) How often, if at all, has your office conducted awareness-raising activities (e.g., workshops, presentations, meetings, etc.) for the following program staffs, agencies, or organizations regarding the needs of homeless children and youth and/or the statutory requirements of McKinney-Vento and Title I legislation relative to the education of homeless children and youth? (Select one for each row.)

Conducted awareness-raising activities for:	Never	Every few years	Once a year	Several times a year	About once a month or more
Title I
Other offices within the SEA (e.g., special education, assessment, etc.)
Other state government agencies
Districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program staff
HUD-funded staffs
Head Start program staff
Other (Please specify.)

15.) How often, if at all, has your office disseminated materials (e.g., legislation and policy guidelines, informational briefs, posters, data or research, etc.) to the following program staffs, agencies, or organizations regarding the needs of homeless children and youth and/or the statutory requirements of McKinney-Vento and Title I legislation relative to the education of homeless children and youth? (Select one for each row.)

Disseminated materials to:	Never	Every few years	Once a year	Several times a year	About once a month or more
Title I
Other offices within the SEA (e.g., special education, assessment, etc.)
Other state government agencies
Districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program staff
HUD-funded staffs
Head Start program staff
Other (Please specify.)

Coordination and Collaboration of Efforts

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 SY, unless otherwise specified.)

16.) Consider your efforts to coordinate and collaborate with other programs, agencies, or organizations on issues related to serving the educational needs of homeless children and youth. Among the following, rank up to three collaborative activities that most improved program administration and/or services to homeless children and youth in your state so that "1" is the most effective collaborative activity, "2" is the second most effective collaborative activity, and "3" is the third most effective collaborative activity.

Coordination and collaborative activities	Rank up to THREE activities that most improved program administration and/or services
Participating in an interagency task force or committee on homelessness
Sharing data on the homeless population with other programs, agencies, or organizations
Conducting with other programs, agencies, or organizations monitoring visits to local districts to assess the extent to which the needs of homeless children and youth are being addressed
Reviewing with other programs, agencies, or organizations state policies or regulations that affect homeless populations
Sharing with other programs, agencies, or organizations the costs of transporting homeless children and youth to and from school
Determining with other programs, agencies, or organizations shelter placements for homeless families with school-age children
Identifying with other programs, agencies, or organizations gaps in services to homeless children and youth
Identifying with other programs, agencies, or organizations barriers that impede access to school for homeless children and youth
Building programmatic linkages among various programs, agencies, or organizations working in the service of homeless children and youth
Other (Please specify.)

17) Consider your efforts to facilitate coordination and collaboration with Title I services. Which, if any, of the following steps has your office taken to facilitate coordination with Title I? (Select all that apply.)

• Developed systems to facilitate cross-program collaborations on state and local plans for both McKinney-Vento and Title I

• Articulated clearly how the local liaison can access Title I, Part A, set-aside funds

• Provided Title I and McKinney-Vento personnel with cross-program trainings and materials

• Collected and shared data across McKinney-Vento and Title I on the needs of homeless and other low-income students along with information on effective programs to address these needs

• Involved homeless education personnel in the creation of school-wide Title I programs, targeted assistance programs, and plans for school improvement

• Located Title I and homeless education program offices in close proximity to facilitate cross-program communication

• Ensured that district liaisons are represented on the state Title I Committee of Practitioners

• Included homeless parents in Title I parent involvement policies and created opportunities for homeless parents to be involved

• Established processes for determining and approving district homeless reservations for Title I, Part A programs

• Other (Please specify.)

McKinney-Vento Subgrants

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 SY, unless otherwise specified.)

18.) Approximately what percentage of McKinney-Vento funds were reserved for state use? (Select one.)

• None

• Under 5 percent

• 5 to 9 percent

• 10 to 14 percent

• 15 to 19 percent

• 20 to 25 percent

• Over 25 percent

• Don’t know

19.) Does your state provide McKinney-Vento subgrant funds through an intermediate educational agency or consortia arrangement? (Select all that apply.)

• Yes, we provide McKinney subgrants through intermediate educational agencies

• Yes, we provide McKinney subgrants through consortia

• No

• Don’t know

20.) What were the leading selection factors associated with successful applications for McKinney-Vento Act subgrants in the latest grant cycle? Among the following, rank up to three factors that were given the most weight in selecting applications for funding so that "1" is the factor given the most weight, "2" is the factor given the second most weight, and "3" is the factor given the third most weight.

Selection factors	Rank up to THREE leading factors
Districts’ capacity to provide the services offered
Districts’ prior experience in serving homeless children and youth
Quality of the proposed project
Number of homeless children and youth in the district
Concentration or proportion of homeless children and youth in the district
Severity of the unmet needs of homeless children and youth in the district
All applications were funded
Other (Please specify.)

ARRA Funding

21.) On what basis did your office allocate McKinney-Vento ARRA funds to districts? (Select one.)

• On a competitive basis only

• On a formula basis only

• On a combination of a competitive and formula basis (e.g., awarded a portion of the funds competitively and the rest by formula)

• Don’t know

22A.) In the 2009-2010 SY, did your office allocate any McKinney-Vento ARRA funds to districts that were not already McKinney-Vento subgrantees?

Yes

No (Skip question 23.)

Don’t know (Skip question 23.)

23.) In the 2009-2010 SY, to how many districts that were not already McKinney-Vento subgrantees did your office allocate McKinney-Vento ARRA funds?

________________Number of districts

Technical Assistance and Monitoring

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 SY, unless otherwise specified.)

24.) In your state do intermediate educational agencies or consortia provide support or services to districts for the EHCY Program? (Select one)

• Yes

• No (Skip question 25.)

• Don’t know (Skip question 25.)

25.) Which of the following resources/services do intermediate educational agencies or consortia in your state provide districts related to the EHCY Program? (Select all that apply.)

• Training for district homeless liaisons

• Training for district staff (e.g., strategies for removing barriers to enrollment and school success for homeless children and youth, strategies for raising awareness regarding the needs of homeless children and youth, etc.)

• One-on-one assistance (in person or by phone or e-mail)

• Materials related to the EHCY Program (e.g., legislation and policy guidelines, information briefs, posters, data, research, etc.)

• Direct services to homeless children and youth or their families (e.g., providing information to parents regarding the rights of and resources available for homeless children and youth, referrals for health services, tutoring, etc).

• Case management for homeless students and families

• Fiscal agent/fiscal management of subgrant

• Other (Please specify.)

• None

• Don’t know

26A.) Did the state provide technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one assistance, training, information) to any McKinney-Vento subgrantee and/or non-grantee districts on any of the following topics? (Select all that apply for McKinney-Vento subgrant districts and all that apply for non-subgrantee districts.)

26B.) For which of the following technical assistance topics could your office use more guidance or resources? (Select all that apply.)

Topics for assistance from the state	A.) Provided McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts with assistance on the following topics: (Select all that apply.)	A.) Provided non-grantee districts with assistance on the following topics: (Select all that apply.)	B.) Your office needs more guidance or resources on this topic (Select all that apply.)
Understanding the McKinney-Vento law and its requirements
Understanding the legal responsibilities of the liaison for homelessness issues
Informing district personnel about the McKinney-Vento law and its requirements
Informing school personnel about the McKinney-Vento law and its requirements
Informing parents and students about the McKinney-Vento law and their rights under the law
Identifying homeless students
Collecting, using, and reporting data about homeless students
Addressing barriers related to school enrollment and school placement (e.g., residency requirements, immunization requirements, etc.)
Addressing barriers related to school attendance (e.g., poor health, lack of adequate clothing and school supplies, etc.)
Addressing barriers related to school success (e.g., frequent mobility, lack of appropriate study area to complete homework, etc.)
Addressing barriers related to transportation within the district
Addressing barriers related to transportation across district boundaries
Coordinating with Title I programs (e.g., cross-program collaborations on state and local plans for both McKinney-Vento and Title I, cross-program trainings and materials for Title I and McKinney-Vento personnel, etc.)
Developing additional learning opportunities delivered as part of the school day
Coordinating with external education service providers (e.g., after-school providers, supplemental tutoring services, etc.)
Accessing social services to support homeless students
Enhancing parental involvement
Other (Please specify.)

27.) In general, how does the Office of the Coordinator of Education of Homeless Children and Youth monitor efforts by subgrantee and non-subgrantee school districts to reduce the barriers to the education of homeless children and youth? (Select all that apply.)

Possible monitoring techniques	McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts (Select all that apply.)	Non-subgrantee districts (Select all that apply.)
Efforts are not monitored (If selected skip question 28.)
Assurances of compliance with regulations are required
Progress reports are requested
Progress reports are required
Efforts are monitored through phone calls or written correspondence (i.e., desk monitoring)
Efforts are monitored through visits to local school districts (Please specify total number of visits per year.) (If selected, answer question 28.)
Efforts are monitored by integrated monitoring visits to school districts that address this and other federal or state programs (Please specify which programs.) (If selected, answer Question 28.)
Other (Please specify.)

28.) On what basis is it decided which school districts to visit? (Select all that apply.)

Basis for decision to visit	McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts (Select all that apply.)	Non-subgrantee districts (Select all that apply.)
There is a routine cycle (If selected answer question 29.)
Visits are triggered by information suggesting that the district is having trouble meeting program requirements
Visits are triggered by information about student performance
Visits are triggered at the request of the district
Other (Please specify.)

29.) How often is the typical monitoring cycle for the McKinney-Vento Subgrantee and non-subgrantee districts? (Select one for subgrantee districts and one for non-subgrantee districts.)

Monitoring cycle	McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts (Select one.)	Non-subgrantee districts (Select one.)
More than once a year
Once a year
Every two years
Less than every two years

30.) In the most recent monitoring year, how many districts in your state were identified as having not complied with one or more federal or state laws, or regulations regarding the education of homeless children and youth?

_________________Number of districts (If zero, skip 31.)

31.) What are the most frequent findings identified through compliance monitoring?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

32.) Have you ever notified a district in your state that it is not in compliance with one or more federal or state laws or regulations regarding the education of homeless children and youth?

Yes

No (Skip question 33.)

33.) How do you follow up with districts that you have notified of not being in compliance with one or more federal or state laws or regulations regarding the education of homeless children and youth? (Select all that apply.)

• No follow-up

• Letter with mandate to address, requirement of documentation when resolved

• Letter with no mandate

• Withholding of funds

• Remonitoring

• Other (Please specify.)

34.) Is there anything you would like to add that you think we should know or would help explain your responses to any of the survey questions?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for completing this survey and for helping to improve
the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program!

Draft May 27, 2011 17