Breaking the cycle of academic failure for foster children — What can the schools do to help?

Challenges in the Transition to Higher Education for Foster Care Youth

“…Foster youth are consistently described as one of the most educationally disadvantaged groups, with lower academic achievement test scores, repetition of grades, and lack of a concerned party coordinating their educational needs (Pecora, ; Vacca, ). With safety being the primary concern for youth in foster care, educational achievement and sharing of information between educational staff and child welfare agencies is not always a top priority (Hernandez & Naccarato, ).…”

The case for enhanced educational supports for children in public care: An integrative literature review of the educational pathway of children in care

“…Services should make a priority of educational continuity, consistency and appropriateness, with consideration given to optimizing the child's educational pathway and encouraging schools to play a pivotal community support role. Downloaded by [Florida Atlantic University] The functions of support system coordination and agency-based educational advocacy need to be supported in order to facilitate close engagement with schools, and to support case planning and communications (Vacca, 2008). Coordination can facilitate the sharing of accurate and complete records, can support continuity of service and can help to identify any needs for pedagogical support .…”

Parent management training, relationships with agency staff, and child mental health: Urban foster parents' perspectives

“…They also frequently fall behind their peers in educational outcomes. Multiple placement moves can lead to multiple changes in schools, which is also associated with increased behavior problems (Sullivan, Jones, & Mathiesen, 2010) and negatively impacts academic achievement (Altshuler, 2003; Courtney, Piliavin, Grogan-Kaylor, & Nesmith, 2001; Vacca, 2008; Zima, Bussing, Freeman, Yang, Belin, & Forness, 2000). Students in out-of-home care are placed in special educational at higher rates than non-fostered peers, and are more frequently disciplined in school (Scherr, 2007).…”