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 information 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. The findings will provide useful information on the program to the United States Department of Education, Congress, and practitioners. As a recipient of an EHCY Program grant, your participation in the survey is required under ESEA, Sec. 9804(a) (4).

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 staff members 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 and a full-time employee working half-time for the Office of the Coordinator would be counted as a total of 1.5 FTE, etc.)

Number of full-time equivalent staff_____________

5. 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.

Responsibilities	Rank up to THREE responsibilities on which you spend the most time
Gathering information on the problems faced by homeless children and youth (needs assessment),
Gathering information on the progress of the state educational agency (SEA) and districts in addressing problems faced by homeless children and youth
Gathering information on the success of McKinney-Vento programs in allowing homeless children and youth to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school (program evaluation)
Providing to the U.S. Department of Education (ED), upon request, 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, local liaisons, and community-based organizations, etc.) 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
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.)

6. Regardless of how much time you spend on each of the following responsibilities, 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	B.) Rank up to THREE of the most important responsibilities
Gathering information on the problems faced by homeless children and youth (needs assessment), ,
Gathering information on the progress of the state educational agency (SEA) and districts in addressing those problems
Gathering information on the success of McKinney-Vento programs in allowing homeless children and youth to enroll in, attend, and succeed in school (program evaluation)
Providing to the U.S. Department of Education (ED), upon request, 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, local liaisons, and community-based organizations, etc.) 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
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, unless otherwise specified.)

7. States are required to provide a variety of information for the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) regarding homeless children and youth in subgrantee districts. What among the following CSPR data on homeless children and youth, if any, does your state collect from non-subgrantee districts? (Select all that apply.)

CSPR data on homeless children and youth	Collected from non-subgrantee districts
Number of homeless youth enrolled in public schools who are unaccompanied
Number of homeless children and youth who are migratory
Number of homeless children and youth with disabilities (IDEA)
Number of homeless children and youth who are limited English proficient
Educational support services provided to homeless children and youth
Barriers that homeless children and youth face in a district
Number of homeless children and youth who took the state language arts assessment
Number of homeless children and youth, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state language arts assessment
Number of homeless children and youth who took the state math assessment
Number of homeless children and youth, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state math assessment

8. Among the data your state collects, which data, if any, do you consider to be burdensome to collect from subgrantee and/or non-subgrantee districts and which data do you consider to be not useful to your state for purposes of serving the educational needs of homeless children and youth?

	Burdensome to Collect from:		Not Useful
CSPR data on homeless children and youth	Subgrantees	Non-Subgrantees
Number of homeless youth enrolled in public schools who are unaccompanied
Number of homeless children and youth who are migratory
Number of homeless children and youth with disabilities (IDEA)
Number of homeless children and youth who are limited English proficient
Educational support services provided to homeless children and youth
Barriers that homeless children and youth face in a district
Number of homeless children and youth who took the state language arts assessment
Number of homeless children and youth, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state language arts assessment
Number of homeless children and youth who took the state math assessment
Number of homeless children and youth, by grade level, who scored at or above proficient on the state math assessment

9. In addition to the information that is required for the CSPR, which of the following data on homeless children and youth, if any, does your state collect from McKinney-Vento subgrantee and/or non-subgrantee districts? (Select all that apply.)

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
Other (SPECIFY)

10. Are the data your state collects on homeless children and youth linked with individual student outcome data, such as 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

11. For which of the following purposes does your state use the data collected from districts on homeless children and youth? (Select all that apply.)

• 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.)

12. Does your state use any of the following data sources to identify and address the needs of homeless children and youth? (Select one response for each row)

Data Sources	Used to identify the needs of homeless children and youth?
	Yes	No
U.S. Census Bureau
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Title I program
Other offices within the SEA (e.g., special education, assessment, etc.)
Other state government agencies
Head Start program
Local Public Housing (HMIS), Health, or Human Service Agency
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program
Homeless shelters, homeless advocacy organizations, etc.
Other
N/A: No independent data source used for this purpose

13. For which of the following purposes does your office use the Department of Education’s Student Achievement and School Accountability (SASA) monitoring reports (select all that apply)?

• To improve compliance with the statutory and other regulatory requirements that govern the reservation of funds for state-level coordination activities

• To comply with statutory and other regulatory requirements governing the use of state administrative funding under McKinney-Vento

• To improve efforts to coordinate and collaborate with other organizations and agencies (e.g., state social service agencies, legal advocates, local liaisons, and community-based organizations, etc.) to ensure the identification, enrollment, and retention of homeless children and youth

• To improve technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one assistance, training, providing information, etc.) provided to districts to ensure that districts comply with the McKinney-Vento Act

• To improve monitoring and evaluation of districts with and without McKinney-Vento subgrants to ensure compliance with McKinney-Vento program requirements

• To improve efforts to ensure that district subgrantees’ plans for services to eligible homeless students meet all requirements

• To improve the state system to ensure the prompt resolution of disputes (e.g., enrollment, provision of services, transportation disputes, etc.)

• To improve efforts to ensure that districts provide comparable Title I, Part A services to homeless students attending non-Title I schools

Barriers Homeless Children and Youth Face

(NOTE: All the questions in this survey refer to the 2010-2011 school year, 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.

14. Consider the current significant 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 school year, unless otherwise specified.)

15. What methods, if any, did your state use to assess the level of awareness 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 among staff of the following programs, agencies, or organizations? (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
Title I program
Other offices within the SEA (e.g., special education, assessment, etc.)
Other state government agencies
School districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program
HUD-funded programs
Head Start program
Other (Please specify.)

16. How often, if at all, has your state conducted awareness-raising activities (e.g., workshops, presentations, meetings, etc.) 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 among staff of the following programs, agencies, or organizations? (Select one for each row.)

Conducted awareness-raising activities for staff of:	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
School districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program
HUD-funded programs
Head Start program
Other (Please specify.)

17. How often, if at all, has your state disseminated materials (e.g., legislation and policy guidelines, informational briefs, posters, data or research, etc.) 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 to staff of the following programs, agencies, or organizations? (Select one for each row.)

Disseminated materials to staff of:	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
School districts
State school board
Other local government agencies
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program
HUD-funded programs
Head Start program
Other (Please specify.)

Coordination and Collaboration of Efforts

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

18. 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 efforts to coordinate and collaborate 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.

Efforts to coordinate or collaborate with other programs, agencies, or organizations on	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
Conducting monitoring visits to local districts to assess the extent to which the needs of homeless children and youth are being addressed
Reviewing state policies or regulations that affect homeless populations
Sharing the costs of transporting homeless children and youth to and from school
Determining shelter placements for homeless families with school-age children
Identifying gaps in services to homeless children and youth
Identifying 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.)

19. Consider your efforts to facilitate coordination and collaboration with Title I services. Which, if any, of the following steps has your state 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 the EHCY and Title I programs

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

• Provided Title I and the EHCY program personnel with cross-program trainings and materials

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

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

• Located the EHCY program and Title I 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 school year, unless otherwise specified.)

20. 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

21. Does your state provide McKinney-Vento subgrant funds through an intermediate educational agency or consortia arrangement? (Select one)

• Yes, we provide McKinney-Vento subgrants through an intermediate educational agency or a consortia

• No

• Don’t know

22. 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

23. On what basis did your state 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

24. Did your state allocate any McKinney-Vento ARRA funds to districts that were not already McKinney-Vento subgrantees?

• Yes

• No (Skip question 25)

• Don’t know (Skip question 25)

25. In the 2009-2010 and/or the 2010-2011 school years to how many districts that were not already McKinney-Vento subgrantees did your state allocate McKinney-Vento ARRA funds?

• Number of districts receiving McKinney-Vento ARRA funds in just 2009-2010: __________

• Number of districts receiving McKinney-Vento ARRA funds in just 2010-2011: __________

• Number of districts receiving McKinney-Vento ARRA funds in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011: ___________

Technical Assistance and Monitoring

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

26. 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 27)

• Don’t know (Skip Question 27)

27. Which of the following resources/services do intermediate educational agencies or consortia in your state provide to 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

28. A. 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.)

28. B. On which of the following technical assistance topics could the state use more guidance or resources from the U.S. Department of Education? (Select all that apply)

Topics for assistance from the state	A.) Provided assistance to		B.) Your state needs more guidance or resources on this topic (Select all that apply)
	McKinney-Vento subgrantee districts on the following topics: (Select all that apply)	Non-grantee districts on the following topics: (Select all that apply)
Understanding the requirements of the McKinney-Vento law
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.)

28. In your opinion, which of the following, if any, create barriers to your state’s efforts to administer the EHCY program? (Select all that apply.)

	Creates Barriers to State Efforts to Administer the EHCY Program
Lack of federal support regarding understanding the requirements of the McKinney-Vento law
Data requirements from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) regarding the educational needs of homeless children and youth
Legislative requirement to coordinate and collaborate with other organizations and agencies (e.g., state social service agencies, legal advocates, local liaisons, and community-based organizations, etc.) to provide and improve services to homeless children and youth
Lack of federal guidance regarding ways to address barriers to school success for homeless children and youth
Lack of federal guidance regarding ways to identify homeless children and youth
Lack of federal guidance regarding awareness raising efforts (i.e., informing districts, schools, parents about the McKinney-Vento law and its requirements)
Other (SPECIFY) __________________________________________

28. 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 31.)
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 31.)
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 31)
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 32.)
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.)

28. 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 all that apply)	Non-subgrantee districts (Select all that apply)
More than once a year
Once a year
Every two years
Less than every two years

28. 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 34.)

28. Consider the types of findings you have identified through compliance monitoring. Under which of the following categories do they fall? (Select all that apply.)

• Designating a EHCY liaison and their roles and responsibilities

• Identifying homeless children and youth in the district

• Identifying and raising awareness of the needs and legal rights of homeless children and youth

• Carrying out activities to address the needs of homeless children and youth

• Addressing the barriers to homeless children and youth enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school

• Collaborating and/or partnering with other programs, agencies, and organizations on issues related to serving the educational needs of homeless children and youth

• Resolving disputes about the eligibility and placement of homeless children and youth

• Using EHCY sub-grant funds

• Other___________

28. 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 36.)

28. 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.)

28. 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 December 13, 2011 26