Homeless Innovative Programs (HIP)
Kern County’s Model Innovative Practice (MIP): (S.A.Y.) Schools Amplifying Youth voice
In 2022, the KCSOS Foster & Homeless Education Program applied for and was awarded the Homeless Innovative Programs (HIP) Grant from the California Department of Education to develop innovative practices that can be studied, adapted, and shared statewide, demonstrating the LEA’s implementation of the EHCY Program authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
KCSOS Foster & Homeless Education Program was awarded the HIP grant for student voice projects. Student voice projects are instrumental in ensuring student engagement and lowering rates of chronic absenteeism & high school dropout rates for McKinney-Vento students.
Kern’s HIP grant falls under the following HIP target activities:
- Demonstrating increased educational outcomes in a variety of ways, including academic progress, attendance, student engagement, graduation rates, attendance, and social-emotional well-being;
- Implementing professional development for other educators and stakeholders, within or beyond the LEA as well as within the community
What is Student Voice?
Student Voice is the practice of educators intentionally, purposefully, and systematically eliciting student viewpoints on a specific topic for improvement purposes.
For more information about the Kern County Student Voice HIP Grant, please contact Curt Williams, Director of the Foster & Homeless Education Program at cuwilliams@kern.org or Allyson Baptiste, Prevention Specialist of the Foster & Homeless Education Program at albaptiste@kern.org.
To request technical assistance for your school site or district, email fosteredcoordinator@kern.org
Kern’s Student Voice MIP E-Toolkit
Training Calendar
Student Voice trainings will be offered at the following conferences in the 23-24 school year:
- “Student Voice & BIDs Training” at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Conference: November 11-14, 2023
- “Student Voice & Multimedia” at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Conference: November 11-14, 2023