Every system needs a solid foundation built for sustainability so it can adjust as needed to meet the ebb and flow of change in regards to demographics, finances, legislative and community needs. At the heart of the systems foundation, are:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Collective Responsibility
These three C's are necessary because creating systems foundation requires a District Level Problem Solving Team that will analyze the Data that includes multiple data points and informational resources.
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This team will utilize the Data Based Decision Making Process to design and implement a system which they will then Progress Monitor to make changes as necessary.
Below are topics that need to be considered when developing your systems foundations.
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What is School Safety? School Safety is every system involved that protects the safety, security and mental well being of the staff and scholars. School Safety is actually comprised of multiple components. Each component as important as the next one. Topics under School Safety include, but are not limited to:
- Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method
- Youth Mental Health First Aide
- Emergency Operation Plan
- Threat Assessment
More information can be found at the Texas State - Texas School Safety Center.
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College, Career, Military Readiness (CCMR)
Every child should graduate from high school ready for their post-secondary life regardless of what "label" they have tagged to their name when they leave the PreK-12 school system. As educators, we do not know what path our scholars will take when the leave the safety of our schools. Life paths have a funny way of diverting from the road map that was originally mapped out. The College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) layer is the one that should be addressed for all students and should be started with scholars and their families as soon as possible.
“Every child, prepared for success in college, a career or the military.”
— The Texas Education Agency -
How do we promote Culturally Responsive Education? This is an important layer that needs to be addressed in the Systems Foundation and should be considered as Universal Support.
"When we speak of the achievement gap, we include the disparities that have been well documented and exist among cultural and socio-economic groups. But we do not stop there. We also speak to the achievement gap of children and youth who are locked in insulated school systems that provide them with a sanitized curriculum that shelters them from learning about the rich history, literature, art and music of people who are culturally different from them."
— "Culturally Proficient Coaching; 2007"
Delores Lindsey, Richard Martinez, Randall Lindsey -
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
The Texas Education Agency has provided the following information regarding the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Under federal and state law, children and youth experiencing homelessness have a right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (federal law) provides assistance to states to help them ensure educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This program helps State Educational Agencies (SEAs) ensure that homeless children, including preschoolers and youths, have equal access to FAPE, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youth.
Consistent with the McKinney-Vento Act, children experiencing homelessness are to be provided services comparable to those received by other students in the school they attend, including transportation services, and education programs for which such students are otherwise eligible, such as services provided under McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 or similar state or local programs and programs for students with disabilities.
State law also addresses the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Texas Education Code (TEC) §§ 25.001, 25.002, and 29.153 address educational rights concerning school admission and preschool for homeless students.
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The Texas Education Agency has provided the Guiding Principals found below.
"Collaboration between the education and child welfare system is an important component to improve the education outcomes of students who experience foster care. The federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (PDF) encourages coordination between education and child welfare.
The guiding principles below assist in guidance of successful collaborative and coordinated efforts amongst education, child welfare and community partners:
- Guiding Principle # 1: Children and youth in care are entitled to remain in the same school when feasible.
- Guiding Principle # 2: Children and youth in care experience seamless transitions between schools.
- Guiding Principle # 3: Young children in care receive services and interventions to be ready to learn.
- Guiding Principle # 4: Children and youth in care have the opportunity and support to fully participate in all developmentally appropriate activities and all aspects of the education experience.
- Guiding Principle # 5: Children and youth in care have supports to prevent school dropout, truancy, and disciplinary actions, and to reengage in the education experience.
- Guiding Principle # 6: Children and youth in care are involved, empowered, and prepared to self-advocate in all aspects of their education.
- Guiding Principle # 7: Children and youth in care have consistent adult support to advocate for and make education decisions.
- Guiding Principle # 8: Children and youth in care have support to enter and complete post-secondary education. " - The Texas Education Agency's Foster Care & Student Success - Collaboration
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The Texas Education Agency has provided the following information regarding migrant education.
The Texas Migrant Education Program (MEP) enrolls approximately 21,124 eligible migratory students out of a total Texas public school enrollment of approximately 5,400,000 students. The state’s migrant program is administered at the local level through local educational agencies (LEAs) and educational service centers (ESCs). Texas migratory students and their families migrate annually to 36 other states in the country, making Texas home to the largest interstate migrant student population in the United States. Texas also welcomes workers to the state to perform temporary and seasonal work in its agriculture and fishing industries. The largest concentration of Texas migrant families, approximately 58%, resides in the Rio Grande Valley. This region of the state includes approximately 13,000 migratory students. A large concentrations of migratory families also reside in San Felipe-Del Rio, Eagle Pass, El Paso, and Hereford.
The purpose of the Migrant Education Program is to design and support programs that help migratory students overcome the challenges of mobility, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, and other difficulties associated with a migratory lifestyle. These efforts are aimed at helping migratory students succeed in school and successfully transition to postsecondary education and/or employment.
The Office of Migrant Education Results Website (outside source)includes the latest updates and resources to administer the Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program.
Program Coordinator
Consultant
Administrative Assistant