Welcome and U.S. Department of Education Updates – Opening Session

Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. Department of Education
Tara Ramsey and Patricia Meyertholen, Office of Migrant Education (OME)

Following an overview of the week’s agenda, OME leadership will share timely updates from the Department of Education on issues relevant to MEP. Participants will be provided opportunities throughout the session to raise questions and reflect on the topics covered.

Opening Session Presentation Slides

Incorporating Change in Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) Processes – Moving Forward Proactively During the Pandemic and Beyond

Michael Meltzer and Patricia Meyertholen, OME
Will Messier and Emily Hanehan, New York Migrant Education Program
Jose Salinas and Malena Gutierrez, Ohio Migrant Education Program
Zachary Taylor and Emily Williams, South Carolina Migrant Education Program

In this session, OME will help facilitate a multi-section discussion among participants related to the need to review a State’s ID&R Plan, improve understanding of the basic requirements for determining and documenting MEP eligibility requirements around the concept of subsequent moves, and share realistic, actionable ideas that can be adopted by participants.

Incorporating Change in Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) Processes – Moving Forward Proactively During the Pandemic and Beyond Presentation Slides

Expanding Networks and Building Community

All Staff, OME

In this virtual networking session, new and veteran MEP State Directors will have the opportunity to get to know each other in small breakout groups and share their most salient advice for effectively administering the State MEP.

Parent Roundtable

Benjamin Starr and Sandra Toro, Ph.D., OME
Rosa Diendomi-Alvarez, Pittsburgh, PA
Didi Garcia, Texas Migrant Education Program
Maria Retana, Anthony ISD, TX
Mona Youssief, Bethlehem, PA
Ines Vega, Center for Schools and Communities

OME has invited several parents of migratory children from across the country to share their perspectives on what MEP services and supports matter most to them. Parents will also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way migratory families approach work and school. As part of this panel discussion, State Directors will have a chance to engage with the parents.

Parent Roundtable Presentation Slides

MEP Service Delivery and Use of Funds

Jessenia Guerra and Sarah Martinez, OME
Sylvia Reyna, Washington Migrant Education Program
Dr. LaTricia Townsend, North Carolina Migrant Education Program

This interactive presentation will focus on how States have defined services for their programs/subgrantees and modified services during the pandemic. Participants will learn about guidance related to instructional and support services and explore examples of allowable uses of MEP funds.

MEP Services and Use of Funds Presentation Slides

Breakouts

1. Binational Initiative
Patricia Meyertholen, OME
Rafael Nevarez, U.S. Department of Education
Tomas Mejia, Colorado Migrant Education Program
Celina Torres, California Migrant Education Program

Continuity of education is critical for the children of migratory farmworkers who travel back and forth between Mexico and the United States. States’ efforts to offer sound educational solutions and foster cultural understanding are realized through interstate collaboration and partnerships with educational agencies in Mexico. Schools use Educational Transfer documents, host exchange teachers and administrators, and coordinate with community and government agencies and states in the U.S. and Mexico to improve the opportunities for eligible migratory children and their families. State MEP Directors will discuss the various ways that their States participate in binational collaborations and partnerships with educational agencies in Mexico, as well as highlight any international collaborations and partnerships involving migratory children and their families. Binational Initiative Presentation Slides

2. MSIX 101
Preeti Choudhary, OME

OME will provide background on the MSIX system and ensure that State Directors are aware of how the system works and what its intended uses are. We will then provide an overview of critical features that State Directors have available to them to aid in program implementation. Guest speakers from multiple States will share different how their States disseminate information from MSIX to school personnel who need it. MSIX 101 Presentation Slides

3. Resources from the Field: Addressing Mental Health Needs
Jessenia Guerra, OME
Renee Bradley, Office of Special Education Programs
Annette Gregg and Deb Benitez, WestEd

This session will spotlight various Federally funded resources and technical assistance centers that can be used to address student behavioral and mental health issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will share trends or best practices they have observed in their States specific to migratory children and mental health. Addressing Mental Health Needs Presentation Slides

4. Coordination of Early Childhood Services for Migratory Children
Benjamin Starr, OME
Lysandra Alexander, Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program
Jamie Garza, Minidoka School District, Idaho
Bill Bansberg, Applied Learning Technology Associates
Bobbie Kilber, South Dakota Statewide Title III and Migrant Consortia
Noemi Aguilar, Colorado Migrant Education Program
Guadelupe Cuesta, FHI 360
Jeffrey Ojeda, Utah Migrant Education Program

States are coordinating their early childhood programs with other programs and services that are available in their State, such as Head Start, Migrant Seasonal Head Start, and others. States will share examples of how this coordination is taking place. Consortium Incentive Grants (CIGs) have developed resources, trainings, and tools which are available for use by all States. Coordination of Early Childhood Services for Migratory Children Presentation Slides

5. Digital Equity Education Roundtables: Strategies to Navigate Student and Family Barriers to Broadband Adoption
Ji Soo Song, Office of Educational Technology

Working together with members of the education community, State leaders must address how they will navigate the issue of broadband adoption in their State digital equity plans, called for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In this session, the Office of Educational Technology seeks feedback and perspectives on barriers that migrant student populations and their families face in adopting broadband for learning, promising strategies that state and local leaders can leverage to navigate those barriers, as well as exemplary stories of success. Digital Equity Education Roundtables Presentation Slides

Consortium Incentive Grant (CIG) Consultation

Michael Meltzer, OME

This session will spotlight the absolute priorities and competitive preference priorities OME is proposing to focus on for the next iteration of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) Consortium Incentive Grant (CIG) program. OME will discuss these priorities and solicit feedback and ideas from the audience for the new grant awards competition. The purpose of the MEP CIG program is to provide incentive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) that participate in a consortium with one or more other SEAs or other appropriate entities to improve the delivery of services to migratory children whose education is interrupted. Through this program, the Department provides financial incentives to SEAs that receive Title I, Part C (MEP) funding to participate in high-quality consortia to improve the intrastate and interstate coordination of migrant education programs by addressing key needs of migratory children whose education is interrupted.

Consortium IncentiveGrants (CIG) Consultation Presentation Slides

Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) Child Counts for State Allocations: Next Steps and Impact on Related Data Collections

Preeti Choudhary and Sarah Martinez, OME

Participants will receive an update on the status of the transition from EDFacts/CSPR to MSIX as the data source for migratory child counts used for State allocations and have an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. This will be followed by a discussion of related data that is currently collected in EDFacts file specification 121: eligible migratory children who are priority for services (PFS), English Learners (EL), students with disabilities as defined by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the number of eligible migratory children who had a qualifying arrival date (QAD) in the performance reporting period. Participants should come prepared to share what they learned from comparing their State’s preliminary 2020-21 EDFacts and MSIX data.

Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) Child Counts for State Allocations Presentation Slides

Open Forum

Sarah Martinez and Patricia Meyertholen, OME

The open forum is an opportunity for participants to raise questions that were not addressed during previous sessions. OME may also share responses to questions that were raised during the week in breakouts or one-on-one communications that would be of interest to all Directors.

Closing Remarks

Tara Ramsey, OME