Educational Challenges, and Opportunities, for Foster Children and Youth Mark E. Courtney, Ph.D. POC...
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Transcript of Educational Challenges, and Opportunities, for Foster Children and Youth Mark E. Courtney, Ph.D. POC...
Educational Challenges, and Opportunities, for Foster Children and Youth
Mark E. Courtney, Ph.D.
POC Executive Director
Ballmer Chair in Child Well-Being
School of Social Work
University of Washington
Acknowledging Needs & Strengthening Systems
• Adoption and Safe Families Act – new emphasis on child well-being
• Child welfare system still the “long-term parent” for many abused and neglected children
• Educational status a critical aspect of foster children’s well-being
Some Basic Information on Children in Care
• 27% in care are 5 years or under; 51% 10 or under• 40% entering are 5 years or under; 60% 10 or under• 46% in foster family home; 23% kinship care; 20% group care• About 2/3 go home and most of these within the first 18 months• Age matters in terms of permanency outcomes• 27% in care are 5 years or under; 51% 10 or under• 40% entering are 5 years or under; 60% 10 or under• 46% in foster family home; 23% kinship care; 20% group care• About 2/3 go home and most of these within the first 18 months• Age matters in terms of permanency outcomes
Background on the Studies
• Work in Chicago begun in 2002 as part of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Student Development Planning Initiative
• Continued as part of broader research program for the Illinois child welfare agency
• Included both quantitative (approx. 5500 foster children in CPS) and qualitative research
• The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth• Foster youth in 3 states (n = 732) who were in out-of-home care at age
17, had entered care before their 16th birthday, and had been placed in care due to abuse and/or neglect
• Interviews at ages 17-18, 19, and 21
Chicago: Falling Behind Early, Never Catching Up
• Twice as likely as other CPS students to be at least a year old for their grade
• Trauma prior to placement >>> to educational delays• More likely to be retained in school in the year immediately
following placement in care
Special Education: The Most Appropriate Response?
• More likely than other Chicago Public School students to be classified as learning disabled
• More likely to have been placed in special education at least once
• Behavioral problems >>> erroneous labeling of children as emotionally or behaviorally disordered?
• Might remediation of educational deficits be more appropriate, in some cases, than special education?
• Don’t confuse behavior associated with the transition to care with emotional disability
Changes in Placement, Changes in Schools
• School mobility rates highest for those entering care for the first time
• 40% of foster children who moved once and 66% of those who moved twice also switched schools during academic year
• Over 80 percent of children changing schools attended a school within 5 miles of the school they left
Educational Consequences of School Mobility for Children
• Disrupted educational instruction and social relationships
• Delays in transfers of important school records
• Delays in access to important special or supplemental educational services
The Challenge for Caseworkers: Identifying Needs
• Finding an appropriate school
• Securing special services
• Motivating youth to stay in school• Helping prepare for and choose among post-
secondary education options
The Challenge for Caseworkers: Knowing the Schools
• Forming sustained, professional relationships between caseworkers and educators
• Building familiarity with school processes and procedures
The Challenge for Caseworkers: Identifying Needs and Knowing the Schools
• 45% of Illinois foster children had 2+ caseworkers (2003)
• Caseloads distributed among many different schools and districts
• High caseworker turnover
The Midwest Study: Educational Status at Baseline (17-18)
• Enrolled in School: 695 (94.9%)• Type of School:
– High School - 588 (80.3%)– Vocational School - 14 (1.9%)– College - 46 (6.3%)– Other - 47 (6.4%)
• Special Education: 347 (47.3%) Add Health• Repeated a Grade: 272 (37.2%) 21.5%• Out of School Suspension: 489 (66.8%) 27.8% • Expelled from School: 121 (16.5%) 4.6%• Median Grade Equivalent Reading Score (WRAT-3): 7th
Grade
Percentage of Young People Exiting Care at Various Points Up to Wave 2 Interview
0 10 20 30 40 50
Wisconsin
Iowa
Illinois
> 2 years
18 months but < 2years
1 year but < 18months
6 months but < 1year
< 6 months
Exited before 18thbirthday
Educational Attainment at 19
Total % Still in Care %
No Longer in Care %
No high school diploma/GED
38.2 38.2 36.1
Enrolled in school 47.7 66.7 30.8
High school/GED program
15.2 20.9 10.1
Vocational training 8.8 8.5 9.1
2 or 4 year college 23.7 37.2 11.7
Receipt of Education-Related Services
Total
Sample Still in Care
No Longer in
Care Educational Support Services Reported Received Since First Interview % % # Career Counseling 23.7 29.8 18.4 Study Skills Training 20.1 26.0 15.0 School to Work Support 19.9 25.1 15.3 GED Preparation 12.1 14.6 10.0 SAT/ACT Preparation 11.6 15.0 8.8 College Application Assistance 27.9 36.2 20.6 Financial Aid/Loan Application Assistance 26.7 35.1 19.3 Attend University/College fair 15.9 21.6 10.9
Predictors of College Enrollment at Age 19
Estimated Effect
Variable on Odds
Caregiver problems 1.25
Delinquency .60
Retained a grade .51
Expects to complete college 1.93
Still in care at 19 2.84
2+ moves .34
2+ moves and still in care 6.36
Housing Mobility, Remaining in Care, and College
Observed Probability of College Enrollment for All Youth
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Low Moves High Moves
Housing Stability
Co
lle
ge
En
roll
me
nt
Not in care
In care
Lessons for Practice with Transition-Age Youth
• Service providers and the courts must take into account that many foster youth are not prepared to make the transition to independence at age 18
• Most young people appear to value and benefit from their connections to the child welfare system
• Educational deficits in high school (old for grade) are strongly related to the educational trajectory
• Externalizing behavior problems affect the educational trajectory…we need to better address emotional/behavioral problems of foster youth
• Aspirations matter (over 70 of youth report wanting to graduate from college and nearly as many expect to do so; no change over time in these aspirations and expectations)
Resources
• Educational Experiences of Children in Out-of-Home Care (2004). Cheryl Smithgall, Robert Matthew Gladden, Eboni Howard, Robert M. Goerge, Mark E. Courtney: http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1372
• Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (2005). Mark E. Courtney, Amy Dworsky, Sherri Terao, Noel Bost, Gretchen Ruth Cusick, Thomas Keller, Judy Havlicek: http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1355