EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT | Intersecting Challenges: STH, ENL & SWD
Addressing Overlapping Needs: Homelessness, ENL, and Special Education
By Stephanie Clagnaz, Ed.D.
When the experiences of being homeless, being new to a country, and being a student with special needs intersect, students’ school success becomes more and more complicated. Newcomer ENL families are more likely to experience poverty, which is a predictor of homelessness. As such, newcomer ENLs may be more likely than peers to experience homelessness. Newcomer students often have increased social emotional needs due to trauma that they have experienced. If they are also homeless, their social emotional needs are even more profound. Newcomers who experience homelessness tend to change schools frequently due to available housing opportunities and related school locations. However, keeping newcomer ENL students in a consistent and stable school environment, which establishes continuity, contributes to their increasing academic proficiency. As newcomers make friends and establish relationships with adults and peers in a particular community, their ability to succeed academically increases. If the newcomer ENL student who is experiencing homelessness also has special education or related service requirements, their needs can better be met if the student remains in a consistent school location.
To ensure that ENL or students with special needs who experience homelessness have their academic and social emotional needs met, here are a few strategies and steps to be taken:
If the student/family speaks a language other than English, provide a bilingual staff member or translation services to ensure that they understand as much as possible about their new school environment and services to which they are entitled.
When the student and family arrive at the school, give them a tour of the school and identify important areas that they should be aware of. Make sure they know who the child’s teachers are and the location of the classroom, bathrooms, office, cafeteria, counselling and other support.
Provide basic school supplies as students suffering from homelessness rarely have the basics that are needed to succeed.
Audit any available school records to determine the best placement for the student and whether they need ENL or special education services. For older students, conduct a review of credits or partial credits that they potentially accumulated in their home country.
Ensure that the student receives transportation and meal services to which they are entitled.
Provide necessary training for teachers and staff. School personnel need to understand many aspects of educating homeless students whose needs may intersect with ENL and/or special education services.
What are your next steps?
Contact experts at Ledbetter for support. Through our Homeless Children and Youth Consortium (ARP-HCY) and using our professional development services, we can provide immediate support for your staff in essential areas such as:
social emotional and trauma-informed practices;
understanding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act, including all facets of homelessness;
meeting the needs of newcomer ENL students; increasing opportunities for the success of students with special needs;
and uniquely designed professional development sessions that meet the needs of your staff.
To learn more about how we can support you, please email excelerator@led-better.org, or schedule a call with us.
