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WBPD’s goal is for community teams to take actions designed to
improve practices that impact students experiencing homelessness and to
then collect, analyze, and report on data collected to demonstrate the
results of those actions.
WBPD is an initiative to study the effects of homelessness and high
mobility in your local school community. On behalf of the National
Center for School Engagement (NSCE), I thank you for joining us in
promoting school engagement to ensure academic success for all
students. School engagement is the centerpiece of NCSE's work to
improve outcomes for students who are at greatest risk of dropping out.
Special thanks also goes to our supporters who made this year's project a reality. We extend our appreciation to:
- State Coordinators for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
- Colorado Department of Education/ Title I, Title X, Exceptional Student Services and 21st CCLC
- Colorado Foundation for Families and Children
- North Carolina - Title X
- Minnesota - Title X
- Washington - Title X
- Center for Schools and Communities
- Madison School District
As project sponsor, NCSE is excited to announce that 12 national
teams from Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington,
Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are on board for the 2007-2008 school year!
Together we will create a "Community of Practice" to identify localized
solutions to mitigate challenges caused by growing numbers of homeless
or highly mobile students in our schools.
Primary project objectives include:
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Fostering a connection between educators, advocates, researchers and
community service providers to ensure that homeless students receive
equitable and excellent services through the public schools.
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Dissemination of research findings via the project website to reach a broad national audience interested in homeless education.
Working to assure that homeless and highly mobile students have the
tools and resources they need to graduate from high school and pursue
higher education.
In closing, I thank you for your interest in contributing to the
field of research that addresses academic achievement for highly
mobile/homeless students. It has been said that Web-Based Professional
Development is "hard fun." It requires attention to details and
deadlines, and commitment to a process that has been described as
"life-changing" by those involved in the project. May your journey be
rewarding. I look forward to hearing more about your research as the
year unfolds.
If you have questions, please email me at cmehesy@coloradofoundation.org.
Sincerely,
Carol Mehesy
Director, Training and Technical Assistance Division
Colorado Foundation for Families and Children | 
