Education

Housing Organization and Education Partnerships Survey

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As part of NAHRO’s work to improve the educational outcomes of the children that your agencies serve and as part of NAHRO’s ongoing partnership with the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC), we ask for your participation in an education partnership survey. Below are the details.

The work our HAs and housing partners do expands well beyond just providing stable housing. We know that connecting the housing sector to other areas like education can create the impact necessary to improve life outcomes. In order to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the landscape of housing organizations involved in this critical work, we have partnered with PAHRC and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) to collect data.

You may have already received a brief survey from PAHRC, but we would like to remind you to add your housing organization’s story by answering this brief five to nine question survey.  All data will be aggregated and no single organization’s data will be identifiable or shared. If the survey does not appear, you can copy this link and paste it into your web browser http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2715688/f0550dd524bf

The survey asks about education services and related programs you provide directly to your residents or provide through partnerships with other organizations. It also inquires about the challenges related to providing these services or why they might be too difficult for your housing organization to provide at all. Even if you do not currently provide education services, we still encourage you to take the survey. If you are a public housing authority that administers multiple housing authorities, please note in the comments which services are provided for each housing authority.

This survey is part of a larger research project being conducted by PAHRC, a HAI Group company; the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA); and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) to build knowledge on how housing organizations are working to improve education outcomes for residents and the tools used in the most successful programs. The initiative is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

We know you may have received other surveys regarding your education efforts and want you to know that we are working with the industry groups and partner non-profit organizations to coordinate our efforts. It is exciting that there has been a growing interest in this work and how we can better it, and we greatly appreciate you assisting in the effort to highlight your work and contribute to the field at large.

Thank you for your time! We appreciate your help in improving knowledge about the many services housing agencies provide to their community. Please contact kstater@housingcenter.com or kmelwain@housingcenter.com with any questions.

2017 Grade-Level Reading Week in Denver, CO

~ Georgi Banna ~ 1 Comment

As part of NAHRO’s partnership with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (GLR), we encourage NAHRO members to learn about and engage with GLR on opportunities to improve the educational outcomes of the children living in your affordable housing programs. Below is information on the 2017 Grade-Level Reading Week being held in Denver, Colo. This is an excellent chance to interact with local communities and leaders on educational opportunities.

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is coming home to Denver in June 2017. In many respects, Denver, Colo., is the birthplace of the GLR Campaign. In June 2012, 14 communities were recognized with the coveted title of All-America City for their focus on grade-level reading. And 124 communities signed on as Charter Members of the GLR Community Network.

Since then, The GLR Network has grown to include over 300 communities in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These local campaigns are supported by 2,300 local organizations and 250+ state and local funders, including 130 United Ways.

From June 13-14, local, state, and national funders that support early literacy will gather for the 2017 Funder Huddle. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet other funders in the grade-level reading community, share challenges and successes, learn from and with each other, and collectively drive toward bigger, stronger and better results.

From June 14-16, hundreds of civic and community leaders, public officials and educators from across the country will come together for the 2017 All-America City Awards, America’s oldest and most prestigious community recognition. Each year, the All-America City Awards are given to communities that exemplify outstanding civic accomplishments. This year, the National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will recognize communities that have made measurable progress for low-income children on the key drivers of early reading success. REGISTER today!

HUD Releases Data-Sharing Road Map for PHAs and School Districts

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In an effort to improve the educational outcomes of students living in public housing agencies and local redevelopment agencies, HUD has release a “Data-Sharing Road Map.” This Road Map will provide PHAs practical guidance, such as starting the data-sharing conversation and negotiating the data-sharing agreement, to establish partnerships with their local school districts. The Data-Sharing Road Map is based on the experience of PHAs that have successfully developed data-sharing agreements with their local school district.

NAHRO continues to partner with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and HUD on promoting and improving the education outcomes of children living in HUD-assisted properties.

Book-Rich Environment Initiative Launched

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On January 5th; HUD, Dept. of Education, and President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force along with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (GLR), the National Book Foundation (NBF) and the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) launched the Book-Rich Environment Initiative at Washington, D.C.’s Southwest Public Library. HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Dept. of Education Secretary John King, and My Brother’s Keeper Task Force Chair Broderick Johnson along with Adrianne Todman, Executive Director of the District of Columbia Housing Authority spoke about the importance of education as the key to opening the door to future opportunities.2017-01-05_10-50-17_052

The Book-Rich Environment Initiative has three major components – Book Distribution, Partnership Building, and Library Engagement. Book Distribution will launch in Spring 2017 with local events that will introduce children and families to their local library, summer learning and literacy, and preparing to go back to school and success in the next grade level. Partnership building will focus on creating strong local partnerships between HUD-assisted housing providers; such as PHAs; with their local library, local and national non-profits and foundation, and the children and family served by these organizations. Library engagement between PHAs, the children and families living in HUD-assisted properties, and the local library is essential to keeping children engaged in reading. Engagement strategies include mobile libraries in public housing buildings, summer learning opportunities and registering children and families for library cards.

NAHRO attended the Book-Rich Environment Initiative launch and continues to partner with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and HUD on promoting and improving the education outcomes of children living in HUD-assisted properties.

More information on the Book-Rich Environment Initiative can be found, here, in HUD’s press release.

NAHRO Presents at HUD on the Lead Safe Housing Proposed Rule

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

On October 6, NAHRO participated in a HUD organized convening on the proposed Lead Safe Housing Rule. NAHRO’s Director of Policy and Program Development, Georgi Banna, along with the National Center for Healthy Housing’s Chief Scientist, Dr. David E. Jacobs and the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative’s Executive Director, Ruth Ann Norton were on a panel moderated by HUD-PIH’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez that discussed the need to combat lead poisoning in children and the role of housing in that battle.ghhi-lead-2016-10-06_16-49-58_000

A video of the Lead Safe Housing Rule Convening has been posted on HUD’s YouTube Channel. Clicking Georgi Banna will begin at NAHRO’s statement.

Comments on HUD’s proposed Lead Safe Housing Rule are due to HUD on Monday, October 31, 2016. NAHRO submitted its comments this week. More information on the HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule and NAHRO thoughts and comments on it can be found in the current edition of the NAHRO Monitor.

Importance of Grade Level Reading, NAHRO Signs MOU

~ Georgi Banna

On Friday July 15, NAHRO and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU.) NAHRO and CGLR are committed to ensuring that children living the communities that NAHRO members serve are set up for success in schools — by arriving ready to learn, maintaining consistent attendance and gaining access to enrichment over the summer so they don’t fall behind.

An important predictor of school success and high school graduation is grade-level reading by the end of third grade. Currently 80 percent of children from low-income families are missing a milestone that is a major predictor of high school graduation and success in life — reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

NAHRO believes that schools need a 24/7/365 partner and understands that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and community development organizations are uniquely positioned to fill this role. Through our Housing and Education Task Force and our Housing America campaign, NAHRO raises national awareness of the need for and importance of safe, quality, affordable housing in addition to advocacy and ensuring that children receive the education they need and deserve. NAHRO shares the CGLR’s desire to help PHAs and community development organizations become learning enablers by ensuring that the young learners in affordable housing can read proficiently by the end of third grade and to promote grade-level reading as a step on the path to future success.

More information on the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is available on their website – www.GradeLevelReading.net. Updates on this new and exciting NAHRO – CGLR partnership will be posted on this blog and the NAHRO website – www.nahro.org – over the coming weeks and months.