[Participants in the evaluation process were a guidance counselor, reading specialist, and teacher from the Clairton City School District and a program coordinator, child development and education specialist, case management and education associate, four case managers, and 18 mothers from Sisters Place.]

The Collaborative provides a reading specialist from Clairton City School District who visits the after-school program once a week for an hour and a half, providing each child with one-on-one reading instruction. Mothers firmly believe the after-school program helps their children's language/literacy skills and significantly influences academic improvement as well as learning attitudes:

• Both children understand their homework without me having to explain it.
• He has a lot of confidence in himself.
• He cooperates and plays much better with others.
• His reading has improved.
• My child enjoys learning more.

The reading specialist finds that her visits to Sisters Place makes possible beneficial communication between herself and the children's school teacher about students' progress beyond the classroom. She can say, "I go to Sisters Place. I work with so-and-so. Is there anything you can think of that we need to work on?"

The Clairton School District and Sisters Place are strong advocates of reciprocal communication.

From Sisters Place: We found out better communication between the school and our mothers opened the door for our families to better understand the education of their children and to be more willing to work with the school — seeing the progress of their kids and not just going down there when there is a problem with a failing grade, detention, tardiness, uncompleted homework, failing a class at the end of the year and having to attend summer school.

From the school district: I think sometimes the problem with communication is that parents don't feel welcomed in the school. They don't feel confident about coming to school. I felt it was important to go there, so we decided to start a monthly meeting every Wednesday evening. I go out and sometimes the social worker who is also our homeless liaison comes along with me.

The staff at both the school and the agency also meet as necessary to address concerns.

Parents experiencing homelessness do pay attention to their children's education and their academic success. One mother, a community college student herself, said of the value of education for her own life and that of her child: It means a lot. You get a good education. You stay in school and do well. So you can get a good job. For my child it means to do well and achieve. Be the best you can be. I want her to go to college and be a doctor or something because she is a smart kid. I just don't want her to waste her life.

Clairton City School District will be providing a combined back-to-school orientation and tour for all families living at Sisters Place before the start of the new school year, and a teachers' in-service day will focus on educating students experiencing homelessness.

Sr. Mary Parks, Executive Director of Sisters Place, reports: "The Clairton Collaborative has been a huge help to us and we are delighted that it will continue this year. For the first time ever we had every child registered and in school on day one in 2010 and we expect similar results this year."

(updated 8/17/11)

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