Adoption and Foster Care Statistics and Research
Asking the Right Questions II: Judicial Checklists to Meet the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care
Children at Risk in the Child Welfare System: Collaborations to Promote School Readiness
This report from the
Catherine E. Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy at the University of Southern Maine examines current practice across systems in order to determine the degree to which the educational needs of children younger than five in the child welfare system are being addressed through collaborations between child welfare agencies, early intervention/preschool special education programs under IDEA, and quality early care and education programs. The report also identifies best practices and policy recommendations for how the multiple agencies which provide these services can coordinate their efforts better.
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Children at Risk in the Child Welfare System: Collaborations to Promote School Readiness.
Courtroom Advocacy for the Education Needs of Children in Out-of-Home Care
Foster Care Transition Toolkit
This toolkit from the
U.S. Department of Education provides information on useful supports for foster youth pursuing college and career opportunities. While geared towards foster youth, many of the resources are equally appropriate for homeless youth, including the toolkit’s chapter on securing housing.
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Foster Care Transition Toolkit.
FosterClub’s Transition Toolkit
This
FosterClub toolkit provides an overview of the skills, knowledge, and resources needed for young people leaving foster care to prepare for life on their own as young adults. The included transition plan provides a space to write down and keep track of all available resources. The toolkit puts young people in the driver’s seat in planning for and working towards their future. While designed with students transitioning from foster care in mind, the toolkit can be a valuable resource for all young people, including youth experiencing homelessness.
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FosterClub’s Transition Toolkit.
Fostering Success in Education: National Factsheet on the Educational Outcomes of Children in Foster Care
This publication from the
Legal Center for Foster Care and Education provides a review of research, laws, and promising programs impacting the educational success of children in foster care. It consists of four sections that can individually or collectively inform advocates, policymakers, agency leaders, and other stakeholders. Sections include: 1) A brief data-at-a-glance summary about the educational outcomes of students in foster care; 2) A summary of select federal policies that support educational stability and success and increased data collection and reporting; 3) A comprehensive review of the studies and research related to the education of students in foster care; and 4) An overview of promising data-supported programs or interventions around the country designed to benefit students in foster care.
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Fostering Success in Education: National Factsheet on the Educational Outcomes of Children in Foster Care.
Postsecondary Education Resources for Youth in and Transitioning out of the Child Welfare System
Serving Former Foster Youth in California Community Colleges
This report from the
Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges provides for a better understanding of the needs of emancipated foster youth enrolled at community colleges; examines successful responses to student needs from community colleges statewide; identifies challenges faced by community colleges in meeting student needs; and makes recommendations as to how programs can be enhanced, expanded, and improved. It summarizes key findings from a survey of Foster Youth Liaisons at community colleges statewide, a survey of community college students who are former foster youth, and interviews with staff at 12 colleges across the state, and presents a list of recommendations on how to strengthen efforts at both the state and local level to serve former foster youth attending community colleges.
Special Education Tools and Resources
Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care (A framework for program enhancement)
Few students from foster care ever gain access to higher education programs, let alone graduate from college. Colleges and universities can help youth succeed. Colleges, policymakers, and advocates have begun to address this issue with calls for policy advances, practice innovations, and influential advocacy. This
Casey Family Programs publication provides program development tools for college counselors, administrators, professors, and staff. It helps education professionals define a plan for improving their institution’s support for students from foster care.
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Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care.
The Texas Blueprint: Transforming Education Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster Care
This report from the
Texas Children’s Commission is the culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration, lead by the Supreme Court of Texas’ Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families. Stemming from a Supreme Court order issued in 2010, an Education Committee was formed and charged with making recommendations for statewide reform in several key areas including: judicial practices, data and information sharing, multidisciplinary training, and creating and sustaining a statewide collaborative model.
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The Texas Blueprint: Transforming Education Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster Care.
Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Background and Federal Programs
A report from Congressional Research Service on programs intended to help youth currently and formerly in foster care make the transition to adulthood.