This is a page of selected tools and resources to find out more about the education needs of youth in out-of-home care and improve advocacy around these issues. This page highlights resources developed by the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education as well as other organizations. This is a great resource for beginning to explore the issues related to education for youth in foster care!
General Foster Care and Education Resources
The
Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster
Care
The Blueprint for Change is a tool for change. The 8 Goals for
Youth and Benchmarks for each goal indicating progress toward
achieving education success provide a framework for both direct
case advocacy and system reform efforts. Following each goal are
National, State, and Local Examples of policies, practices, programs,
and resources that exist to improve educational outcomes for children
in foster care.
Download the Blueprint
Download the Blueprint
Insert Card listing all the Goals and
Benchmarks
Download a Fact
Sheet about the Blueprint
National
Working Group for Foster Care and Education Website and Brochure
Fact
Sheet: Educational Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster and
Out-of-Home Care: September 2007
Unfortunately, the educational outcomes for children and youth
in foster care are dismal. As this current research summary reveals,
young people in foster care are in educational crises. Although
data are limited, particularly national data, research makes it
clear that serious issues must be addressed to ensure the educational
success of children and youth in foster care.
Download the data
sheet
Mythbusting:
Breaking Down Confidentiality and Decision-Making Barriers to
Meet the Education Needs of Children in Foster Care
Mythbusting is an online, searchable publication that addresses
the issues surrounding confidentiality and other barriers that
arise when advocating for the educational rights of young people
in care
Download Mythbusting
Learning
Curves: Education Advocacy for Children in Foster Care
This book, from the ABA Center on Children and the Law, covers
such topics as creative approaches to address education barriers
for children in foster care and special education process—with
practice tips, psychological tests, education advocacy resources,
and excerpts from key federal laws and regulations.
Order Learning
Curves
A
Road Map for Learning: Improving Educational Outcomes in Foster
Care
This framework from Casey Family Programs provides eleven key
strategies designed to improve education for children and youth
in foster care. Examples include achieving placement stability
and transfer of accurate records; ensuring youth are both literate
and prepared for postsecondary education; and promoting policies
that support education.
Download PDF
copy
Order a hard
copy of the guide
Endless
Dreams
This free video for educators, from Casey Family Programs, was
developed to increase awareness of the unique educational needs
of youth in foster care and it describes policies, procedures,
and practices that improve educational success.
Order a copy
of this DVD
In
School, the Right School, Finish School: A Guide to Improving
Educational Opportunities for Court-Involved Youth
The materials compiled in this manual by the National Children’s
Law Network (NCLN) are part of an effort to increase the ability
of professionals in the court system—lawyers, social workers,
probation officers, judges—to become effective educational
advocates for the children they serve. For every child, in every
case, at every hearing, the children need us to be asking the
right questions—Is the child in school? Is it the right
school? And with the services s/he has can s/he finish school?
—and to be pushing for change if the answers are not satisfactory.
Download the report
Addressing
the Educational Needs of Children in Foster Care
Created by the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on
Justice for Children this is a guide for judges, advocates and
child welfare professionals, as well as educators. It contains
ten basic questions that everyone involved in foster care cases
can ask to spotlight a child’s educational needs and integrate
those needs with permanency planning and review.
Download the guide
Asking
the Right Questions: A Judicial Checklist to Ensure that the Educational
Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care Are Being Addressed
This checklist and technical assistance brief outline questions
that should be asked in a courtroom with respect to the educational
needs of children and youth in foster care.
Download the checklist
Stability
and Continuity Resources (including McKinney-Vento Resources)
Educational
Stability and Continuity for Children and Youth in Out-of-Home
Care
This fact sheet outlines the great need for education stability
law, the benefits currently provided under the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Education Act for some children in care, and
other state education stability models.
Download the factsheet
Factsheet: McKinney-Vento and Awaiting
Foster Care Placement
Download the factsheet
The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children
and Youth (NAEHCY), a national grassroots membership association,
serves as the voice and the social conscience for the education
of children and youth in homeless situations. NAEHCY connects
educators, parents, advocates, researchers, and service providers
to ensure school enrollment and attendance, and overall success
for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by the
lack of safe, permanent, and adequate housing. NAEHCY accomplishes
these goals through advocacy, partnerships, and education.
The Center provides research, resources, and information enabling
communities to address the educational needs of children and youth
experiencing homelessness.
Educating
Children in Foster Care: The McKinney-Vento and No Child Left
Behind Act
Casey Family Programs with the National Education Association
released recommendations for the reauthorization of the No Child
Left Behind Act to improve the educational outcomes of children
and youth in out-of-home care. The recommendations deal with the
reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act.
Download the report
Order a hard
copy of this report
Make
a Difference in a Child’s Life and Toolkit for Change
The Make a Difference manual teaches how to advocate for a youth’s
education. It covers topics such as basic education rights, special
education law, and resources for young people making the transition
to adulthood. Toolkit for Change enables states to adapt the manual,
originally designed for Washington State, to other jurisdictions.
Visit www.teamchild.org
Special
Education Decisions for Children in Foster Care: Everyone Has
a Role
This article addresses who is the right individual to act in the
education decision maker role for children in out-of-home care.
Download the article
Factsheet:
Credit Transfer and School Completion
Download the
factsheet
Factsheet:
McKinney-Vento and Awaiting Foster Care Placement
Download the factsheet
Factsheet:
Mobility and Special Education
Download the factsheet
The
Chafee Educational and Training Voucher Program: Six States’
Experiences
This report examines the implementation of the ETV Program in
CA, ME, MT, NC, NY, and WY, highlighting programs and noteworthy
practices.
Download the report
It’s
My Life: Postsecondary Education and Training
This guide provides child welfare practitioners, educators, and
advocates with practice approaches for improving college success
for students in foster care.
Download the guide
Focus
on Foster Care: Building Educational Support for Youth in Care
This newsletter describes how educators and others can help youth
in care and alumni succeed in K-12 and postsecondary education
and training
Download the newsletter
