Positive Tomorrows is a small, privately funded school in the heart of Oklahoma City, designed to meet the needs of homeless children. The future of these students hinges on the one constant in their lives: the school, which addresses both education and basic needs.
The educational challenges associated with homelessness are broad and extend to every corner of a child's life. Without consistent access to adequate food, shelter and safety, students are often too hungry, tired and stressed to keep up in the classroom.
Positive Tomorrows began in 1989 as a collaboration between the city's public school district, the state department of education and some national nonprofits to target the specific educational needs of homeless students.
But with the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, public school systems were no longer allowed to segregate students based on their homeless status. After losing public funding, Positive Tomorrows reopened as a private, tuition-free elementary school, with the majority of its funding coming from private donors, foundations and corporations.
While there is no official data on how many schools specifically target homeless students, there are at least three similar schools in the U.S.: Monarch School, a public K-12 in San Diego; TLC, a public K-6 in Stockton, Calif.,; and Children's First Leadership Academy, a K-8 charter school in Phoenix with 100 percent of students at or below the poverty level, with the majority being homeless.
To read more of Katie Hayes Luke's article, please click here.
Comments (0)