The American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has produced a new manual that will assist you, your state's liaisons, and school personnel, to understand and implement the McKinney-Vento Act and its directives for the education of homeless children and youth.

Educating Children Without Housing: A Primer on Legal Requirements and Implementation Strategies for Educators, Advocates and Policymakers, 2nd Edition, provides innovative strategies for educators and school administrators, state coordinators and policymakers, and advocates and attorneys to play a role in ensuring the education rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The completely revised edition includes additional strategies designed to assist communities to exceed compliance and move toward greater commitment-to embody not only the letter but also the spirit of the law. Additions include new sections

on: homeless students with disabilities; students involved in the child welfare system; application of the Act in response to disasters; as well as expanded sections on definitions, preschool children, and unaccompanied youth. The book also includes an updated directory of resources.

Drafted by Barbara Duffield of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, Patricia Julianelle of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, and Laurene Heybach of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, the book is the most comprehensive resource on the education of homeless children and youth available. Several State Departments of Education have praised the book for its brief, yet comprehensive, easy-to-understand format, commenting on its similarity to a "how-to handbook." Many states have purchased the publication in bulk and distributed them to liaisons, as well as to each school district and school administrator.

Educating Children Without Housing: A Primer on Legal Requirements and Implementation Strategies for Educators, Advocates and Policymakers-a 76-page book-is available for $14.95 through the ABA Web Store at http://www.abanet.org/abastore/index.cfm or by calling the ABA Service Center at 1-800-285-2221. Discounts for bulk orders are available. If you are interested in hosting a training event in your state, please call me at

(202) 662-1693 at the Washington D.C. Offices of the American Bar Association.