Actionable Solutions
|
Educators - The Change Leaders:
Educators should have the courage to teach antiracist and anti-classist curricula
Educators should think through what it means to be a member of the dominant culture
Educators should recognize that literacy represents a set of practices that can provide the conditions through which people can be empowered or disempowered
Educators should acknowledge that marginalized groups have cultures, languages, and moral codes
Educators should always question whether the classroom environment, curricula, and
curricular materials reflect the learners' histories, cultures, languages, and
experiences
Educators should construct and maintain supportive learning environments, acknowledging
and accepting diverse perspectives offered by learners and emphasizing multiple
interpretations
Educators should provide learners with opportunities to clarify their own attitudes and values, encouraging them to take a stance on issues
Educators should question the ways in which texts have been constructed, consider the purpose of the texts and the motives of the authors; explore alternative
readings, consider what has been included and what has been left out
A professional development on issues of poverty, racism, cultural dominance and
internalized oppression should be available for all working in the field of education.
References:
Aronowitz, S., and Giroux, H. "Textual Authority."In the politics of the textbook, edited by M. W. Apple and L. K.
Christian-Smith, pp. 213-241. New York: Routledge, 1991.
Aronowitz, S., and Giroux, H. A. Education still under siege. South Hadley, MA: Bergin-Garvey, 1993.
Freire, P.,and Macedo, D. Literacy: Literacy: reading the word and the world. South Hadley, MA: Bergin and Garvey, 1987
Auerbach, E. "Literacy and Ideology." ANNUAL REVIEW OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS 12 (1992): 71-85
Quigley, A. Rethinking literacy education: the critical need for practice based change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Addressing Hunger While Improving Child Nutrition
School principals, teachers, and staff know how important the school breakfast and lunch programs are to ensuring that all low-income students receive proper nutrition. Not only do school meals help reduce hunger, but they also improve the health of children and their ability to learn.
The federal government reimburses schools for the breakfasts and lunches they serve based on whether a student is qualified for free, reduced-price, or paid meals. School districts may find it challenging to collect school meal applications from families but capturing an accurate free and reduced-price meal percentage will not only optimize a school’s reimbursement for school meals, but will also leverage additional funding. For example, free and reduced-price percentages are commonly used as a proxy for the number of low-income children in a school to determine the distribution of Title I funds (Food Research and Action Center, 2011).
The federal government reimburses schools for the breakfasts and lunches they serve based on whether a student is qualified for free, reduced-price, or paid meals. School districts may find it challenging to collect school meal applications from families but capturing an accurate free and reduced-price meal percentage will not only optimize a school’s reimbursement for school meals, but will also leverage additional funding. For example, free and reduced-price percentages are commonly used as a proxy for the number of low-income children in a school to determine the distribution of Title I funds (Food Research and Action Center, 2011).
There are two basic ways to certify eligible students for free and reduced-price meals:
Direct CertificationIf a household currently receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or participates in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the children in that household can be directly certified (without a paper application) for free school meals. When schools do not take full advantage of this option, they miss out on collecting money that they are entitled to (see Table 1).
Provision 2An option in the school meal program, Provision 2 cuts down on paperwork, allows schools to use applications for three subsequent years, and allows schools to serve free meals to all their students regardless of their meal eligibility category. To take advantage of this provision, schools must have a high application return rate. However, administrators must sometimes take on proactive roles (see Meal Applications section) in order to qualify.
Benefits of Direct Certification
Key Steps to Implementing the
|
Meal ApplicationsIf a household's total income is below a certain amount, the children in that household can eat for free or at a very reduced price. The family fills out an application which asks for the total household income in the past month. To receive free meals, the household income must fall
below 130 percent of the federal poverty level. For reduced-price meals, the household income must be between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Conduct a Campaign to Collect Meal Applications from the Remaining Student Population
References:
FRAC Facts: Direct Certification for Free School Meals http://frac.org/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/direct_cert_facts.pdf USDA Guidance on Frequency of Direct Certification Matching http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/Policy-Memos/2011/SP_31-2011.pdf Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program: State Implementation Progress, Report to Congress, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, October 2010. http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/Published/CNP/FILES/DirectCert2010.pdf USDA Questions and Answers on Extending Categorical Eligibility to Additional Children in a Household http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/Policy-memos/2010/SP_25_CACFP_11_SFSP_10-2010_os.pdf USDA Prototype Application Materials for School Year 2011- 2012 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/frp/frp.process.htm |
Compulsory School Attendance For Everyone; McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youths Program
The McKinney-Vento program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, State educational agencies (SEAs) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth. Homeless children and youth should have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment. States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.
Source:Department of Education, W. C. (2004). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, As Amended by The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Non-Regulatory Guidance. US Department of Education.
Source:Department of Education, W. C. (2004). Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, As Amended by The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Non-Regulatory Guidance. US Department of Education.