March 2011Vol. 12, No. 2Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care
A recent issue of Casey Family Services' Voice magazine focuses on the importance of providing school stability for children and youth in foster care. Changing schools can set children back academically, cut them off from their friends and social group, and add more stress to children who are already experiencing stressful circumstances. Research shows that high school graduation rates for young people aging out of the foster care system are significantly lower than for youth in the general population, with school changes and other disruptions playing a major role.
The articles in Voice explore the hurdles to educational stability and ways to address them. "School Stability Is Critical to Success of Youth in Care" looks at the potential impact of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 on school stability. Efforts in Pennsylvania, California, and Connecticut to implement measures that would ensure school stability are also reviewed. Short, real-life stories illustrate the impact of frequent school changes on the lives of youth in foster care. Other Voice articles include:
- "Goals and Recommendations of the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education"
- "Social Work Practices to Support School Stability"
Voice, Vol. 11(2), is available on the Casey Family Services website:
http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org/userfiles/voicemagazine/voice-2010-2011-winter.pdf (877 KB)
Related Items
The American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law maintains the Legal Center for Foster Care & Education, which serves as a national technical assistance resource and information clearinghouse on legal and policy matters affecting the education of children in the foster care system. Visit the webpage to find information about the Fostering Connections Act's impact on education for children in foster care and more:
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/projects_initiatives/legal_center_for_foster_care_education.html
The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement is offering two webinars, in March and April, on strategies to support school stability and continuity. Visit the website for more information: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids/tele_detail.htm#031511