Improving Education Outcomes for Court- Involved Youth
Jessica FeiermanJessica Feierman
April 10, 2015April 10, 2015
Website: www.fostercareandeducation.org
What Every Child Needs
Instability
School Instability
EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN CARE
Is the deck stacked against our youth?
EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN CARE
Less than 50%
of high school students in care graduate
EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN CARE
EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN CARE
College Graduation Rate
EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN CARE
“youth in foster care are 2.5 [to]
3.5 [times] more likely to be receiving special education services than their non
foster care peers.” *
*National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, Education is the Lifeline for Youth in Care.
Making a ChangeEducation was one of the few stabilities I had in my life. My hope would be that a family would fill that role, but for me, it was education. That was the greatest gift. Everything else was taken away from me, but education wasn’t.... It made the difference.
NCSL and Excal Consulting Partners LLC. (March 2008)
Stuart Foundation Video: It Gets Awesome
https://vimeo.com/user9020769/review/51964222/953311af7d
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IMPROVING EDUCATION OUTCOMES
Youth in care who are connected to mentors are
as likely to graduate than those who are not3x
IMPROVING EDUCATION OUTCOMES
Youth who stay in the same placement and school are
more likely to graduate 50%
IMPROVING EDUCATION EDUCATION OUTCOMES
Students who receive SIX months of
one-on-one tutoring
have a
1.7 grade level increase in reading
Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care
8 Goals for Youth
Benchmarks for each goal indicating progress toward achieving education success
National, State, and Local Examples
Goal 1: Remain in the Same School
Innovative Examples:
GIS Mapping
School-Based Foster Family Recruitment
Interagency Transportation Agreements
Court Rules
Goal 2: Seamless TransitionsInnovative Example:
Education Dashboards
Specially Trained Liaisons
Caseworker Role Specified
Goal 3: Young Children Ready to Learn
Prioritize young children in care for Head Start and other early learning programs
Assess young children in care for early intervention
Identify appropriate providers
Goal 4: Equal Access Involvement in extra-curricular activities
Access to academic programs – including gifted and talented
special education
career and technical education
Goal 5: Address Dropout, Truancy, and Discipline
Compassionate Schools
Trauma-Informed Schools
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Goal 6: Involving and Empowering Youth
Youth involved in court
Youth plan early and often
Youth at education meetings with supportive adults
Goal 7: Supportive Adults as Advocates and Decision-makers
Mentors
Education Decision-Makers Special Education General Education
Advocates
Parents
Foster parents
Liaisons
Teachers
Goal 8: Obtaining Postsecondary Education
Higher Education Liaisons
Transition Planning Special and General Education Needs Post-Secondary Counseling College Tours Help with applications and FAFSA Prioritizing youth in care in college prep programs
Tuition Support and Fee Waivers
Campus Housing During Breaks
Campus Support Programs
Resources:
Legal Center Database
Conclusion
Contact
Jessica FeiermanJuvenile Law Center
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 400Philadelphia, PA 19107(215) 625-0551 ext 116
Legal Center for Foster Care and [email protected]
http://www.fostercareandeducation.org/
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