Supporting Youth and Students Experiencing Homelessness During COVID-19 and Beyond

Resources:

• Meeting the Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness During the COVID-19 Crisis - Building Changes and Schoolhouse Connection (presentation deck)

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, public schools identified over 1.5 million children and youth experiencing homelessness. These students face daily challenges to education, nutrition, health, support systems and shelter. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated the barriers that these students face. Join this webinar to learn more about the effects of homelessness, strategies to support students, the unique considerations in light of COVID-19, and the role funders can play in supporting this resilient population during the pandemic and beyond.

Speakers include: Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection; Daniel Zavala, director of policy & strategic communications, and Liz Burrell, program director of Seattle nonprofit Building Changes; and Zoe Stemm-Calderon, director of education from Raikes Foundation.

Celine Coggins, Grantmakers for Education’s executive director, will invite panelists to respond to probing questions about the situation, what the field and students need most, possible funder responses at the local, state and national level, and how to build a policy movement for a long-term, sustainable response. Bring your own questions for the panelists.

Speakers:

Barbara Duffield
Executive Director
SchoolHouse Connection

Barbara Duffield is the executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national organization working to overcome homelessness through education. For more than 20 years, she has bridged policy and practice in early care, education, housing and homelessness. Barbara began her career as a tutor for children experiencing homelessness in Washington DC in 1990. She was the director of education for the National Coalition for the Homeless from 1994-2003, where she collaborated with service providers, educators, federal agencies, and Congressional offices to address children’s issues. She served as the director of policy and programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in Washington D.C from 2003-2016, leading national efforts to strengthen federal protections and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Daniel Zavala
Director of Policy and Strategic Communications
Building Changes

Daniel joined Building Changes as the new director of policy and strategic communications in 2018. Previously, he worked in the field of education for a decade, starting as a special education teacher on the East Coast and more recently as director of policy and government relations for the League of Education Voters in Washington state. In that role, Daniel compounded the forces of community engagement and academic research to mobilize people and influence policy. He hopes to catalyze a similar movement in family and youth homelessness.

Daniel is a graduate of the University of Washington Law School and attended Stanford University, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in psychology. His local community involvement includes serving on the boards for the University of Washington College of Education and Impact Public Schools.

Liza Burrell
Program Director
Building Changes

Liza Burell, MSW, oversees all of Building Changes' program areas, including Schoolhouse Washington, the Washington Youth and Families Fund grant portfolio, and the Family Homelessness Initiative.

Zoe Stemm-Calderon
Director, Education
Raikes Foundation

Zoë joined the Raikes Foundation in 2015 to lead its education strategy. Before joining the foundation, Zoë served as a resident at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation while completing her doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She wrote her dissertation on philanthropic strategy for incubating and scaling personalized learning. Previously, Zoë was assistant superintendent of professional support and development at Houston Independent School District (ISD). Prior to her work in Houston ISD, Zoë was a senior leader at Teach for America, where she spent her 10-year tenure focused on advancing the organization's approach to teacher, coach and manager development. Zoë began her career as an elementary school teacher in Houston. In addition to her doctorate from Harvard, Zoë earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of Washington.

Celine Coggins
Executive Director
Grantmakers for Education

Celine Coggins has been an educator for more than two decades, with a track record as an innovator, leader and connector. Her work has always been deeply connected to teachers and disadvantaged schools. In 2007, she founded Teach Plus where she spent the next decade as CEO and grew the organization to over 30,000 teachers. Celine was recognized at the White House for her organization’s impact on public education. A nationally-recognized expert on teacher leadership, education policy standards and accountability, and union politics, Celine has addressed audiences nationwide. She appears regularly in the media and has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, among others. She is the author of three books, most recently How to Be Heard: Ten Lessons Teachers Need to Advocate for Their Students and Profession. Celine earned her Ph.D. in education policy analysis at Stanford University and is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.