Join Us in Supporting ‘School on Wheels’ at Annual Meeting
This post also appears on the AACTE Annual Meeting site.
Once again, AACTE has partnered with a local charity to give back to our Annual Meeting host community. Indianapolis’ School on Wheels will be collecting donations outside the Conference Community Center at the 2014 AACTE Annual Meeting.
School on Wheels works to break the cycle of homelessness by providing one-on-one tutoring and educational advocacy for school-aged children impacted by homelessness. Since its founding in 2001, it has trained over 2,200 community volunteers as tutors, provided tutoring to 3,913 school-aged homeless children, and distributed 2,148 backpacks filled with school supplies and 11,351 school uniforms to homeless children. In 2013, School on Wheels was named nonprofit volunteer program of the year by the United Way of Central Indiana.
Over 3,100 children in Marion County experience homelessness in the course of a year, and 65% of them are under age 12. These children change schools an average of three times while homeless and need 4 to 6 months each time to recover academically. Research by the National Center for Homeless Families at the University of Colorado Denver found that homeless children are twice as likely as other children to develop learning disabilities. Only 52% of homeless children test at or above state standards for reading and only 50% for math, according to the National Center for Homeless Education.
School on Wheels provides free tutoring and mentoring to homeless students, in addition to new school supplies, backpacks, and school uniforms. Kids enrolled in their program improve their grades, attendance, behavior, and overall attitude toward learning. School on Wheels developed its “Ignite Learning” program in 2008 to help parents facilitate their child’s education. Ignite Learning program coordinators help parents navigate the educational system, understand local government policies relating to homeless assistance, and learn how they can support their child’s academic success.
Stop by the table outside the Conference Community Center to make a donation to School on Wheels. Visit www.indyschoolonwheels.org to learn more.
Tags: equity, urban education
