Assessing the educational achievements of adults who were formerly placed in family foster care

Abstract

Case records and interviews concerning educational achievements of 1087 foster care alumni are presented. Youth were served by a voluntary agency in 23 communities across the USA between 1966 and 1998. Because the alumni were older than most foster care follow‐up studies, a more extensive picture of educational achievement was possible. High school graduation and college enrolment rates were comparable to or even greater than those of the general population, but the number of alumni completing high school with a Graduate Equivalency Diploma and the college dropout rates were a concern. Predictors of high school completion while in foster care, such as fewer placement changes, extracurricular activities and independent living training, are presented, along with recommendations for improving educational and vocational preparation.

Placement Instability and Risky Behaviors of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

“…In one study, a quarter of 16-17 year-olds in foster care had changed schools five or more times due to placement changes, and 30% had missed a month of school or more due to a placement change (Shin and Poertner 2002). Among young adults formerly in foster care and case managed through Casey Family Programs, those who had experienced two or fewer placement changes per year were three times more likely to obtain a high school diploma (Pecora et al 2006).…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Poor Mental Health Outcomes Among Racially Diverse Foster Care Alumni: Impact of Perceived Agency Helpfulness

“…Disparate rates in mental health problems and cooccurring negative psycho-social outcomes (e.g., substance abuse, criminal justice involvement, lack of education) may persist between young adults who were involved in the foster care system due to maltreatment versus those who were not placed in out-of-home care (Courtney and Dworsky 2006;Massinga and Pecora 2004;Pecora et al 2006b). This disparity may largely be because foster care alumni are more likely to experience child abuse and/or neglect during childhood, loss and grief associated with termination of relationships with birth parents and relatives, and multiple placement experiences, as well as lack of adequate preparation for independent living (McMillen et al 2005;Pecora et al 2006a;Shin 2005).…”

Kinship care for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children removed from the home for maltreatment

“…Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Needell 1996 Reason for exclusion The foster care group was not disaggregated from other out-of-home placement types Reason for exclusion The kinship care group was not compared with a foster care group Payne 2000 Reason for exclusion The article/report describes a study in which there was no intervention Pears 2005 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Pecora 1998 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Pecora 2006 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Perez 1998 Reason for exclusion The kinship care group was not compared with a foster care group Prosser 1997 Reason for exclusion The formal kinship care group was not disaggregated from the informal kinship placement Ritchie 2005 Reason for exclusion The article/report describes a study in which there was no intervention Ritter 2005 Reason for exclusion The article/report was unavailable Rock 1988 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Romney 2006 Reason for exclusion The type of placement is the outcome not the intervention Roy 2000 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Roy 2006 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Rubin 2004 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Ryan 2005 Reason for exclusion The study reports on an intervention other than kinship care Sawyer 1994 Reason for exclusion The kinship care group was not compared with a foster care group Schwartz 2005 Reason for exclusion The research design was descriptive, survey, or qualitative Shin 2004 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Shlonsky 2002 Reason for exclusion The kinship care group was not compared with a foster care group Shore 2002 Reason for exclusion The intervention was permanent foster care placement Simard 1993 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Smith 1986 Reason for exclusion The intervention did not include a kinship care group Smithgall 2004 Reason for exclusion The research design was descriptive, survey, or qualitative Sousa 2005 Reason for exclusion The article/report was unavailable...…”