NCJ Number
196536
Date Published
July 2002
Length
61 pages
Annotation
Through interviews with foster children and adults, this study attempted to better understand how foster care affects a child's education and how the adults around these children can help them become more successful in school.
Abstract
There are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care in the United States and aggregate data suggests that these foster children fare poorly in school, not achieving their full academic potential. In order to help foster children succeed in school, there is a need to know more about their educational experiences. This study conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice presents foster children's stories and perspectives in order to guide practical efforts at reform. The educational experiences of 25 children in foster care from 4 Bronx, New York middle schools and participating in an experimental program designed to improve their achievement were studied. In addition, 54 key adults in their lives such as foster parents, school staff, and caseworkers were interviewed to examine what they regarded as obstacles in the children's educational success. The findings indicated that from the children's perspective they did have unique problems that flowed directly from their foster care status distinguishing them from other disadvantaged children in school. Some of the problems identified included: mandated court appearances, doctor appointments, longer commutes, registration and transfer problems, and being teased or singled out because of their family situations. From the adult perspective, those responsible for the well-being of foster children as well as their educational achievement, they did not seem to understand the school experience in the same way as the children interviewed. Foster parents were concerned primarily with the children's behavior at home and in school. Involved caseworkers generally preferred that other adults took responsibility for all but crisis situations at school. The school staff involved in the education of foster children typically had little knowledge of a child's background causing minimal understanding of how previous experiences could influence behavior in the classroom. Recommendations are presented to establish primary responsibility for educational matters in each case, increase cooperation between the child welfare system and schools, greater information sharing, encouraging and supporting foster parents to take a more active role in their children's academic success, and providing basic training to school staff on how the child welfare system works, the demands it makes on children, and its consequences for a child's development. References