Meeting Educational Needs of Children & Youth in Out-of-Home Care

Resources to help meet the educational needs of children and youth in out-of-home care, including State and local examples.

Educating Children "At-Risk": A Handbook for Caseworkers, Probation Officers, and Families (PDF - 345 KB)
Education Law Center (2004)
Outlines the educational rights of children living away from home.

Educating Children in Foster Care (PDF - 50 KB)
National Conference of State Legislatures (2003)
Provides background about the academic performance of children in foster care and describes what researchers have identified as major systemic obstacles to these children's academic success.

Foster Children and Education: How You Can Create a Positive Educational Experience for the Foster Child (PDF - 775 KB)
Vera Institute of Justice (2004)
Outlines challenges and offers simple, inexpensive lessons and tools that can enhance the educational experience of children in foster care.

Learning Curves: Education Advocacy for Children in Foster Care
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law (2004)
View Abstract
Explains Federal laws that support education rights and describes the role of lawyers, judges, parents, and educators in ensuring foster and adopted children receive necessary school services.

Questions to Ensure That the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care Are Being Addressed (PDF - 36 KB)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (2005)
A list of questions to ensure the educational needs of foster children and youth are being addressed.

Resources for School Personnel
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Addresses the effects of trauma on learning, service intervention programs, and helping schools prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises and disasters. The website includes the Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators.

A University Program to Serve Youth in the School Setting: The Hunter College Liberty Partnership
Walsh (2005)
In Child Welfare for the Twenty-first Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs
View Abstract
Describes the Hunter College Liberty Partnership program, a comprehensive educational and social service program created to confront issues that might interfere with the academic success of at-risk junior high students.

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State and local examples

2010 Report to the Legislature and the Governor for the Foster Youth Services Program (Word - 1262 KB)
California Department of Education (2010)
Reports on the services provided to foster children by school districts in California, including information on the effectiveness of services and data on the academic achievement and truancy rates of foster youths.

Achieving Positive Educational Outcomes
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2010)
Provides training on education records, school stability, progress toward graduation, preparation for postsecondary education, needs of students in special education, and more.

Advocates for Children's Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System (MS Word - 240 KB)
Advocates for Children (2005)
Describes the activities and outcomes of Project Achieve, a program that provides education advocacy to children in, or at risk of, placement in foster care and trains parents, foster parents, and agency staff to identify and address the educational needs of children in their care.

Educational Experiences of Children in Out-of-Home Care
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2004)
Findings from a mixed-method study assessing the educational performance and experiences of youth in out-of-home care in Illinois.

Foster Care Education Fact Sheets (PDF - 238 KB)
California Foster Youth Education Task Force (2005)
Explains legal requirements relating to the education of foster children.

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