Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Children and Youth Services Review
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth
Maximizing educational opportunities for youth aging out of foster care by engaging
youth voices in a partnership for social change
Angelique Day a,⁎, Joanne Riebschleger b, Amy Dworsky c, Amy Damashek d, Kieran Fogarty e
a
School of Social Work, Wayne State University, 303 Thompson Home, 4756 Cass Ave. Detroit, MI 48202, USA
School of Social Work, Michigan State University, 254 Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 1313 East 60th St. Chicago, IL 60637, USA
d
Department of Clinical Psychology, Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University, MI 49008, USA
e
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Program, Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University, MI 49008, USA
b
c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 21 September 2011
Received in revised form 1 February 2012
Accepted 5 February 2012
Available online 11 February 2012
Keywords:
Youth in Transition
Foster care
College access
Youth voice
Public policy
Advocacy
a b s t r a c t
This study examines the challenges faced by youth in foster care who are making the transition from high
school to college. Forty-three high school and college students from across the state of Michigan who are or
were in foster care spoke before panels of policymakers at two public forums. Transcripts from their testimony
were analyzed. Eight main barriers to high school completion and college access were identified. The most
frequently cited was a lack of supportive relationships with caring adults. This research demonstrates how
the voice of youth in foster care can have an impact on the policies that affect their lives.
© 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Head (2011) and Zeldin, Camino, and Calvert (2003) provide three
rationales for giving young people greater voice across a variety of
institutional settings and policy arenas: (1) to ensure social justice; (2) to
support civic engagement; and (3) to promote positive youth development. The social justice rationale is based on the idea that, in addition
to being nurtured and protected, youth have the right to be treated
with respect. This includes being involved and consulted in decisions
that affect their health and well-being, where appropriate.
The second rationale, civic engagement, reflects a belief that, all
members of the community, including youth, should have legitimate
opportunities to influence decision-making (Flanagan & Faison,
2001). By bringing their often different and complementary views,
experiences, and competencies together, youth and adults can jointly
address collective issues.
The third and final rationale grows out of the positive youth
development framework. This framework views socio-emotional
development as being equal in importance to cognitive development
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1 313 577 4407.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A. Day), [email protected]
(J. Riebschleger), [email protected] (A. Dworsky), [email protected]
(A. Damashek), [email protected] (K. Fogarty).
0190-7409/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.02.001
(Sherrod, 2007). Participation in the formulation of public policy is
thought to have developmental benefits both for the youth themselves
and for society as a whole.
Being given a greater voice in the policy decisions that affect their
lives may be especially important for youth in foster care. First, they
are the recipients of many publicly funded services. These include
not only child welfare services, but also services in the areas of,
health, education, housing and employment. Second, youth in foster
care are a primary focus of federal and state policies and a frequent
target of interventions, and third, youth in foster care can be psychologically harmed by the very systems created to protect them. This
harm can result from further exposure to trauma or from being denied an appropriate education or other services.
That said, youth in foster care have rarely been active participants in
policy planning or decision-making, in part, because they often lack
connections to the requisite institutional structures (Hill, Davis, Prout,
& Tisdall, 2004). More recently, however, youth policy forums have
begun to provide youth in foster care with structured opportunities to
inform the development of national, state and local policies that directly
affect them by sharing their experiences and concerns with adults in a
position to act on their behalf (Checkoway & Richards-Schuster, 2003;
Hill et al., 2004) Michigan's Children, 2010).
Policy forums for youth in foster care can be viewed as part of a
larger trend toward greater youth representation and involvement
in public policy deliberations across the U.S. (Pittman, 2000). Over
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A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
the past few decades, a growing number of youth policy forums have
been sponsored by national advocacy organizations, including the
Forum for Youth Investment and Youth M.O.V.E. These forums put
youth on a more equal footing with adults to influence public policy
(Zeldin et al., 2003).
Similar forums have been developed on the state-level. One example in the state of Michigan is Kidspeak®. Under the auspices of Michigan's Children, a private nonprofit legislative advocacy organization,
Kidspeak® brings young people before listening panels of legislators,
state department heads, and other community leaders to talk about issues of concern to them.1 This study is based on testimony given at
two such forums held in the summer of 2010. Both focused on barriers
to educational success faced by youth in foster care, including challenges
associated with the transition from high school to college.
2. Foster care youth and education
Education is a powerful determinant of quality of life and confers
economic, social, civic, and personal benefits (Carnevale &
Desrochers, 2003; Joftus, 2002). Having a college degree is associated
with better health, more meaningful employment, and higher socioeconomic status (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, 2009). College graduates earn significantly
more, on average, than those with just a high school diploma (Aud
et al., 2010; Tierney, Bailey, Constantine, Finkelstein, & Hurd, 2009).
They also tend to be more civically engaged and active in their communities (Metro United Way, 2011; Tierney et al., 2009).
Educational attainment is no less important for youth in foster
care. However, research suggests not only that foster care youth are
less likely to graduate from high school than their peers, but also,
that they are less likely to attend and graduate from college even if
they do complete high school than youth in the general population
(Blome, 1997; Courtney et al., 2005, 2007; Courtney, 2009; Kessler,
2004; McMillen & Tucker, 1999; Pecora et al., 2005; Scannapieco,
Schagrin, & Scannapieco, 1995).
academically after each school change, many children in foster care
lose ground (Yu, Day, & Williams, 2002). Poor coordination between
child welfare and school personnel as well as difficulties transferring
school records and course credits can result in enrollment delays as
well as the course repetition and grade retention (Kerbow, 1996;
Leone & Weinberg, 2010). 3 Changes in school not only negatively affect academic progress, but can also disrupt connections to peers and
school professionals who might otherwise be a source of social support (Ersing, Sutphen, & Loeffler, 2009). This link between changing
placements and changing schools may explain the negative relationship Pecora et al. (2005) found between placement instability and
high school completion.
Frequent school changes are only one of several barriers that can
make it difficult for foster youth to graduate from high school. Compared to their peers in the general population, youth in foster care
are less likely to perform at grade level, twice as likely to repeat a
grade (Burley & Halpern, 2001; Courtney, Piliavin, Grogan-Kaylor, &
Nesmith, 2001; Courtney, Terao, & Bost, 2004; Pecora et al., 2005),
and two to three times more likely to be enrolled in special education
classes (Burley & Halpern, 2001; Courtney et al., 2004; Courtney et al.,
2001; Macomber, 2009; Shin & Poertner, 2002; Smithgall, Gladden,
Howard, Goerge, & Courtney, 2004; Pecora et al., 2005). School-age
foster children are more likely to suffer physical and mental health
problems than children who have never been placed in out-of-home
care (Aviles, Anderson, & Davila, 2006; Bilaver, Jaudes, Koepke, &
George, 1999; Unrau & Grinnell, 2005). 4 This may help explain why
they are absent twice as often as their non-foster care peers
(Conger & Rebeck, 2001; Finkelstein et al., 2002) Foster youth are
also far more likely to be suspended or expelled than their nonfoster counterparts (Courtney et al., 2004).
2.2. Barriers to college access
Youth in foster care are less likely to complete high school than
their non-foster peers. For example, Burley and Halpern (2001)
found that only 59% of 11th grade foster youth in the state of Washington graduated from high school on time compared to 86% of
11th graders who were not in foster care. Other studies suggests
that high school graduation rates among foster youth range from a
low of about one-third (e.g., McMillen & Tucker, 1999; Scannapieco
et al., 1995) to a high of roughly two-thirds (Blome, 1997; Courtney
et al., 2005, 2007; Pecora et al., 2005).
Several factors probably contribute to the low high school graduation rate among this population (Finkelstein, Wamsley, & Miranda,
2002). These include experiences both prior to (i.e. neglect and
abuse, poverty, learning disabilities, and behavioral and emotional
problems) and during foster care placement (i.e., placement disruption and school changes) (Smithgall, Gladden, Yang, & Goerge, 2005).
According to the most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis
and Reporting System (AFCARS) data, children in foster care on
Sept. 30, 2010 had experienced an average of 3.1 placement changes
since entry (Casey Family Programs, 2011). 2 These placement
changes can disrupt education because they often result in a change
of schools (Julianelle, 2008). Because it takes time to recover
The majority of foster youth have college aspirations (Courtney
et al., 2004; McMillen, Auslander, Elze, White, & Thompson, 2003). In
one study, over 70% (N = 262) of 15 to 19 year old youth in foster care
expressed a desire to go to college, including 19% who expressed a desire to attend graduate school (McMillen et al., 2003). In this respect,
they are not unlike their non-foster peers (Courtney et al., 2004).
Moreover, policies at both the federal and state level aim to increase access to college among youth in foster care. Most notably, in
2001, Congress created the Education and Training Voucher program
as an amendment to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence
Program (CFCIP) of 1999. Through this program, states can provide
current and former foster youth with up to $5,000 per year for postsecondary training and education (Promoting Safe & Stable Families
Amendments of 2001). Youth participating in the program on their
21st birthday remain eligible until age 23 as long as they are making
satisfactory progress toward completion of a post-secondary education credential (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2009). Some
states also have tuition waiver programs that allow foster youth to
attend public institutions at no charge or at a significantly reduced
rate or special scholarships and grants (Day, 2011; Eilertson, 2002;
Spigel, 2004).
Their educational aspirations and these policies notwithstanding,
foster care youth are under-represented among college-going populations (Courtney, 2009). For example, one study found that only
24% (N = 575) of 19 year old current and former foster youth were
pursuing a two- or four-year college degree compared to nearly 57%
1
Located in Lansing, Michigan's Children works to inform policymakers and the
public about children's issues and provides communities and young people with the
tools to influence policy decisions.
2
Counting placement changes is complicated by several factors including the relationship between number of moves and length of time in foster care as well as the fact that
moves are most likely to occur within six months of entry (Wulczyn, 2010; Wulczyn &
Chen, 2010).
3
This problem is beginning to be addressed through provisions outlined by the
Fostering Connections & Increasing Adoptions Act of, 2008.
4
Between 87% and 95% of youth in foster care have at least one physical health
condition, and over half have more than one (Forkey, 2007; Sanchez, Gomez, & Davis,
2010). Half of the youth in foster care have a diagnosed mental or emotional problem. This is twice the rate observed among youth in the general population (White,
Havalchak, Jackson, O'Brien, & Pecora, 2007; McMillen et al., 2005).
2.1. Barriers to high school completion
A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
of their peers in a nationally representative sample of 19 year olds
(Courtney et al., 2005). Contributing to their low rate of college enrollment are the many barriers to college access that foster youth
must overcome.
For example, young people who age out of foster care tend to be
concentrated in high-poverty, under-funded, and low-performing
high schools (Smithgall et al., 2004) where they are not adequately
prepared for college-level work. In addition, the child welfare system
has traditionally done a poor job of encouraging foster youth to
pursue post-secondary education (Merdinger, Hines, Osterling, &
Wyatt, 2005) or providing them with information to help them
navigate the complex college application process, including the
process of applying for the different sources of financial aid for
which they are eligible (Dworsky & Peréz, 2010; Hernandez &
Naccarato, 2010), Consequently, many foster youth are on their
own when it comes to applying to college and patching together
the resources to pay for their education. Assuming they cannot afford college, some may not apply.
3. Present study
Although previous studies have documented the low high school
completion and college enrollment rates among foster care youth,
the voices of young people experiencing or on the cusp of experiencing the transition from high school to college have been conspicuously absent from this research. This exploratory study seeks to address
this gap by examining the barriers to completing high school and enrolling in college as perceived by youth in foster care and foster care
alumni. A better understanding of these barriers from the perspective
of current and former foster youth will assist policymakers as well as
child welfare and education professionals who are working to increase their high school completion and college enrollment rates.
4. Methods
4.1. Sample
In the summer of 2010, Michigan's Children convened two
Kidspeak® forums in partnership Western Michigan University
(WMU) and Michigan State University (MSU), respectively. 5 The
purpose of both events was to give high school students who
were currently in foster care and college students who had been
in foster care an opportunity to inform policymakers about the
barriers to completing high school and accessing college that
they faced and to share their ideas about what could be done to
help young people like themselves overcome those challenges.
The forums were held in conjunction with 2 week-long, pre-college
programs that bring high school-aged youth in foster care to campuses
to learn about college life. High school students from 13 Michigan
counties (i.e., Bay, Barry, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Luce, Macomb,
Midland, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Washtenaw, and Wayne) with
postsecondary educational aspirations were recruited by their child
welfare caseworkers. Students were registered on a first come, first
serve basis until capacity was reached capacity: 20 students in the
case of WMU and 30 students in the case of MSU. College students
who had been in foster care were recruited through the foster care retention program at WMU and MSU. They were paid to serve as peer
mentors and camp counselors to the high school students.
The first Kidspeak® event, which lasted two hours, was hosted by
Western Michigan University's Seita Scholars program on July 29,
5
Both Kidspeak® events were supported, in part, by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The WMU event was also supported by the James A & Faith Knight Foundation.
The MSU event received additional support from the Comcast Foundation, the Volunteer Center of Michigan, and the Park West Foundation.
1009
2010. 6 Participants included 18 high school students, six WMU undergraduates and 18 policymakers from the southwest region of the
state (see Table 1). Among the policymakers present were state legislators, elected officials from Kalamazoo, K-12 and university administrators, workforce development administrators, and foundation
representatives.
On August 6, 2010, 32 high school students, 12 MSU undergraduates, and 35 policymakers participated in the second event. This event
lasted three hours and was hosted by Michigan State University's Foster
Youth Alumni Services Program and its College of Law. Because it was
held near Michigan's capital in East Lansing, the event drew legislators
from across the state as well as representatives from the fields of workforce development, higher education, corrections, public health, mental
health, business, the courts, human services, K-12 education, and other
special interest groups.
The young people at both events ranged in age from 15 to 23 years
old. Consistent with the racial composition of Michigan's foster care
population, the majority were African American, Less clear is why
young women outnumbered young men, although it could reflect the
gender of students at the two universities who had been in foster care.
Due to time constraints, only 43 of the 68 students in attendance
were able to testify. These students had been randomly selected by
the master of ceremonies. 7 Another seven randomly selected students chose not to participate. Students who were not selected but
wanted to speak were invited to submit written testimony to Michigan's Children, which agreed to share the information they provided
with the policymakers.
4.2. Procedures
Institutional review boards at Michigan State University and
Western Michigan University approved the study. Informed consent/assent to participate in Kidspeak® was obtained during camp
registration. Students over the age of 18 signed on their own behalf.
Minors co-signed consent forms with their caseworkers.
Prior to the forums, youth participated in advocacy and media
training offered by Michigan's Children. The college students assisted
with the training which included instruction on developing written
and giving oral testimony as well as preparation for media interviews
should they be approached by journalists. Youth were also given opportunities to role play testifying in front of a mock listening panel.
On the day of the event, students were asked to address two questions that the policy makers had chosen: (1) What do you believe are
barriers foster youth face in high school completion and college access? (2) What suggestions do you have for policymakers to eliminate
these barriers? Students were instructed to limit their remarks to no
more than five minutes, to introduce themselves by giving their first
name, age, school affiliation, and county of residence, and to conclude
by thanking the policymakers for attending. Most students did not
need the full 5 minutes, but a few exceeded the allotted time or
veered off-topic. Their testimony was audio-recorded and transcribed
by professional court reporters.
Students who participated in the MSU event had an opportunity to
debrief about their Kidspeak® experience. They appreciated the opportunity “to tell their story,” ”to hear about other peoples’ stories,” and to
know that they were “not alone in having problems with the system.”
They also felt genuinely “listened to.” Students who participated in
the WMU event were not given a similar opportunity.
6
The Seita Scholar Initiative provides college access and retention services to students who age out of foster care system and are interested in pursuing postsecondary
education at WMU.
7
The demographic data were collected from camp registration materials that had
been completed prior to the events, and it was not possible to distinguish between
the 43 students who testified and the 25 who did not.
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A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
Table 1
Characteristics of Youth Attendees at each Kidspeak® event (N = 68).
N
WMU
High school students
College students
MSU
High school students
College students
Total number
Total percentage
Race
Gender
White
African
American
Other*
Females
Males
18
6
8
3
10
3
0
0
11
4
7
2
32
12
68
100%
12
3
26
41%
15
8
36
53%
5
1
6
6%
17
8
40
59%
15
4
28
41%
Note: Other includes five biracial and one Asian American student.
4.3. Data analysis
Transcripts from the two Kidspeak® events were uploaded into
NVIVO (International, 2008) and content analyzed for themes using
constant comparison methods to look for commonalities, differences,
and main ideas (Dye, Schatz, Rosenberg, & Coleman, 2000). Because
In Vivo coding uses the direct language of the participants as codes
rather than researcher-generated words and phrases (Saldana,
2009), the analysis is grounded in the voices of the young people
who provided testimony.
Two researchers trained in qualitative methods coded the transcripts independently. Their codings were compared and thematic
categories were developed through consensus. Interpretive disagreements were resolved by presenting supportive evidence and operational definitions for main themes. The results were reviewed by
four of the college students who participated in the forums as a
check on the validity and interpretation of the data (Saldana, 2009).
The analysis focused on the two primary research questions:
(1) What are the perceived barriers to completing high school and
enrolling in college? (2) What do young people think can be done
to eliminate these barriers? Responses that did not address these
questions will not be discussed here.
5. Findings
Eight major themes emerged from the testimony the 43 Kidspeak®
participants gave about barriers that have impeded their educational
success. Table 2 lists these themes as well as the number of young people who touched on each in no particular order. Seven of the eight
themes could be heard in testimony given at both events. The theme
of unsafe schools, which dominated the discussion at the WMU event,
was not discussed at the event held at MSU. Although some of these
themes have been discussed in the literature, others have received little,
if any attention. Each theme is briefly discussed and illustrative quotations from the testimony are provided below.
5.1. Theme 1
Youth in foster care desire stable relationships with caring
adults outside of school who know how to support their educational successes. These adults would include, but are not limited to,
caseworkers, judges, foster parents, relative caregivers, and mentors.
Participants who had adults like these in their lives described how
they contributed to their educational success in high school and
inspired them to pursue post-secondary education.
The one person who actually helped me was the judge I had
when I was 13. If you say you want to quit, he won't let you
quit. I am going to graduate from Cass Tech [high school] this
year, and I am going to go to Wayne State [University] for my
bachelor's degree.
I am in a foster home right now; they are strict, but they care
about me. All I really wanted throughout my whole life is love
and I finally have it. Before coming here [current foster home]
I told myself I wasn't going to add up to much…now I'm
going to have the chance to go to college and become what I
have always wanted to become.
I have been in foster care for a year and a half. My grandmother has
custody of me and my brother. Through her help and support, I was
able to maintain my school grades. I did my homework every night,
and I attend classes every day. I have a 3.8 GPA now.
By contrast, participants whose lives lacked caring adults didn't
feel cared about and weren't motivated to succeed academically.
There was no one there to make sure I went to school or did my
homework. Nobody cared, so I eventually started skipping, I didn't
do my homework.
I have experienced over ten caseworkers. I can't even tell you their
names. I actually looked over my case files, and said, oh, this
Table 2
Major themes and examples (N = 43).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Theme
N
%
Need for permanent relationships with caring adults outside of school
“There is no one there I can depend on”
“[S]o many caseworkers, I can't even tell you their names
Need for connections with teachers and other adults at school who understand the unique challenges faced by youth in foster care
“Teachers need to take note of what's going on with their kids.”
Need for teachers to be sensitive to individual student learning needs.
“Kids learn slower than others which causes them to fall behind”
“[T]eachers don't teach to the students”
Lack of resources to address basic school-related needs
“I want to get ready for school, but. we don't have any money to pay for anything”
“I want to learn, but I don't have a way to get to school”
Lack of access to extracurricular activities
“I have never been allowed to participate in [after] school activities”
Unsafe schools
“If a school is not safe, why go to school
Untreated mental health issues
”We are dealing with depression, loneliness”
Lack of preparation and support for independent living
“Where am I going to go [after high school] until college starts?”
11
26
4
9
4
9
4
9
7
16
6
14
5
12
6
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A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
person was my caseworker? How do they even know about
when I am at school because I don't remember seeing them.
5.2. Theme 2
1011
how not having clothing, books and transportation for school limits
school engagement and academic achievement. They attributed
these unmet needs to school and human service agency budgetary
constraints, the closure of neighborhood schools, and other systemic
factors.
Youth in foster care want caring and competent teachers who
are aware of their personal challenges and available during the
school day. Some participants described how attention from teachers
had helped them overcome the educational challenges they faced and
allow them to succeed in school.
I am living with my foster parents now, who are really nice people,
but I am wearing clothes that are three years old, and I have holes
in my shoes, and kids make fun of me because we don't have any
money to pay for anything. School begins in a month and I want to
get ready for school, but I can't.
I have had two teachers, and they really helped me to realize that I
could go to college. I never really planned on going to college until
this last year. My GPA went from like a 1.0 to a 3.1. My teachers
really helped me out and changed my attitude. I want to go to
college so that I will be able to support a family, because I will
have money. I will be able to give my kids everything I didn't
have.
Schools should try to link up with libraries. At my school, they
closed the library, so we are no longer able to read books, or
check out books or to even research things.
Other participants felt that not having caring and competent
teachers had compromised their chances of academic success.
The teachers [need] to be able to take note of what's going on with
their kids. I didn't find out that I was dyslexic and had testing
anxiety until my junior year in college. I'm having severe problems in college because you have to know how to write. I barely
know how to comprehend. That's a problem. Nobody tested me
for dyslexia, ADHD, for nothing. I don't mind being diagnosed,
but I want the treatment that goes with it…I was told by my
teachers all the time I have to rewrite this…it tears down your
confidence. It tears you down because you actually tried, and it
took a lot just to get what you got on that paper written…
5.3. Theme 3
Youth in foster care youth need teachers who are flexible,
creative and sensitive to individual learning needs. Participants
want teachers to accommodate students with learning disabilities
(i.e., “slow learners”) and give students who fall behind a chance to
recover missing or credits. They also want teachers to adopt “multisensory” classroom, techniques, provide more opportunities for
hands-on learning, and maximize retention by scheduling breaks
during the school day.
Some kids learn slower than others which causes them to fall
behind. I believe you can resolve this, to have more programs
for students, you know, so people can learn, and they won't
be left behind. So enforce the ‘No Child Left Behind’ concept.
I feel a lot of teachers don't teach to the students. Students of
today need more movement in their classes. They need
hands-on experiences. I must move and see things. I can not
just hear something to learn it. Educators need to use multisensory techniques.
A lot of classrooms are so structured and you are sitting there
listening for hours and students need breaks so they can
move, stretch, to get their brains back in focus.
5.4. Theme 4
Youth in foster care youth cannot succeed academically if they
have basic unmet school-related needs. Participants explained
Yeah I want to learn, but I don't have a way to get to school. Detroit
has closed over fifteen schools. There should be transportation to get
the kids to school. Without transportation, students miss a lot of
days of school. The school district will only allow 20 days to miss
school or you will automatically fail. How do we promote them
[foster youth] to graduate if we don't give them the resources
they need to get here [to school] and get the education [they
need] to succeed?
5.5. Theme 5
Youth in foster care are often denied opportunities to be
involved in afterschool and extra-curricular activities. Several
participants described how placement instability has prevented
them from engaging “normal” school activities like sports.
I'm currently attending my 17th high school. I have never been
allowed to participate in school activities, go to dances…I have
never played a high school sport. I have moved around a lot-like
over 20 times.
When I was in [residential home] I played sports to keep me busy.
I played football, linebacker, in 10th grade. My caseworker took
me away from sports. It's like she didn't want me to do good.
By contrast, participants who had engaged in afterschool and
extra-curricular activities perceived themselves as being more attached
to school and viewed their involvement in these activities as a buffer
against negative experiences at home.
So school is a refuge to a lot of kids. It was my refuge. I stayed in
after school activities: basketball, boxing, volleyball, track and field.
I did it all—anything to keep away from home as late as I could. School
was home for me. In school and in education we need to create a
home-like environment, meaning the support.
5.6. Theme 6
Concerns about personal safety, both in and out of school,
have an adverse impact on the academic performance of
youth in foster care. Some participants described threats to their
personal safety at school including school violence, and bullying
on school grounds and called for more “safety officers” and “hall
monitors.” Others explained how abuse they were experiencing
at home had been ignored or had forced them to make decisions
that were detrimental to their education.
If we don't have good grades, we have a reason. If my mom is
beating me everyday, I would not want to go to school and do
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A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
any work…because I can't keep up straight because my back
hurts [as a result of physical abuse experienced in the home].
I got put in foster care because my parents physically beat me.
When I started to tell people, CPS, no one listened, so I ran
away four different times. I was gone for a good month, and I
missed a lot of school…
If a school is not safe, why go to school? School is supposed to
be a safe environment. Instead teachers are afraid of students.
Having a public safety officer in the school is important.
I want to talk about bullying. I used to get picked on almost everyday.
Students who experience bullying have bad reactions to this abuse.
We need more hall monitors. I want the bullying to stop.
5.7. Theme 7
Youth in foster care want access to appropriate mental health
services. A number of participants who had been diagnosed with serious emotional disturbances had been prescribed anti-psychotic or
other psychotropic medications when what they really needed was
help from professionals who understood the trauma they experienced both before and during out-of-home care placement. They
also explained how untreated mental health problems may cause students to disengage from and eventually drop out of school.
Students drop out of school because of depression, low selfesteem,…bullying or other people talking about them. Students
stop caring because of family problems, which also tags along
with low self-esteem. Distractions are a problem at school, trying
to fit in. Some kids have learning problems; I have ADHD and
teachers don't point that out.
When I was placed in foster care, people put me down. They told
me ‘no’ a lot. They put me on medication because I was sad; I
was depressed. I never ate or slept. I was voiceless and I didn't
like it. I am glad I have a voice today. [Youth in foster care] are
all dealing with something….depression, loneliness. What we are
seeing running across our mind is all the problems that are
going on in our lives. That's all we see. We need someone to tell
us, ‘we'll try’. That's all I wanted to hear, at least…have someone
say, ‘I'll try’.
Being in the system has given me all this stress and it's hard to
focus on what's important. Stress messes up how to learn and
how others learn. I face frustrations with not being able to pay
attention in class because of all the obstacles I have had to overcome in my life. My grades have suffered and I am still working
to overcome. Teachers could pay more attention to students
when you are seeing their grades dropping and you can ask,
‘what is really going on?
5.8. Theme 8
Young people aging out of foster care need more support and
independent living skills training to help them transition from
high school to college. Participants expressed concern about their
lack of preparation for independent living. Even those who had
succeeded in high school spoke about the struggles they continued
to face.
Where am I going to go until college starts? What am I going to
do when I turn 18 in January and graduate in May? College
doesn't start until September. What am I going to do all summer long? I don't like sleeping in cardboard boxes. It doesn't
sound fun to me. Who is going to show me how to own a
house or pay my taxes, how to fill out my bills and my paperwork? I don't know any of that stuff. Where am I going to go
for that help? Who am I going to turn to when I graduate to
help me out? When I turn 18 the court says, ‘goodbye, see
you later, have fun, you're an adult, figure it out yourself.’
What it should say is, ‘you need help? Come talk to us’.
Coming to college has made life a lot better. I'm thankful for the
[Foster Youth Alumni services Program] and this camp. 8 This is
something I wish I had when I was graduating, when I was
leaving high school and going to college…when I turned 18
the lady [my foster parent] was like, your money is stopping, I
don't have anywhere for you to go. I didn't have anyone to
say, yeah, let's go shopping for your dorm or bring you up to
college. We need to establish programs, hands on programs,
to help these young people learn these different things. Not
only learn how to go to college, but also how to take care of
themselves.
I came to college alone. I came here, close to dropping out my
freshman year because I didn't have any support. Now there
are wonderful people [at MSU] who have come into my life. I
can't really say there was a lot of structure within the foster
care system that helped me to get to that point where I am
today. I don't see enough programs that are specifically directed
at foster youth so that they can go to college or so they can find
a good job.
5.9. Discussion and implications for policy and practice
The themes that emerged from the testimony given by the Kidspeak® participants highlighted the challenges faced by high school
and college students who are or were in foster care. Some of these
challenges are familiar (i.e., the need for placement and school stability, the importance of connections to caring adults); others are less
well known (i.e., participation in extra-curricular activities). The
themes also point to several policy and practice recommendations
aimed at breaking down barriers to educational attainment among
this population.
The most frequently cited challenge was not having relationships
with caring adults both in and out of school. Young people viewed
the emotional support these relationships could provide as critical
to their academic success. Equally important is the educational advocacy these adults could provide. This would help ensure that the educational needs of youth in foster care are being met.
Kidspeak® participants recommended that the Department of
Human Services (DHS) promote the development of these relationships by matching youth in foster care with adult mentors who
would provide guidance and support. Ideally, this support and guidance would continue beyond closure of the child welfare case. They
also suggested that the Department promote lasting connections
with family by placing youth with siblings or other relatives.
Placement instability was another challenge described by Kidspeak®
participants. Not only did they draw a direct connection between changing placements and changing schools, but in addition, they explained
how school mobility had limited their involvement in extra-curricular
or afterschool activities. The Michigan Department of Education has
8
Information about the services provided by the Michigan State University School of
Social Work Foster Youth Alumni Services Program can be found at http://socialwork.
msu.edu/outreach/foster_youth_alumni_svcs.php. See Kirk and Day (2011) for information about the summer camp program.
A. Day et al. / Children and Youth Services Review 34 (2012) 1007–1014
taken steps to address this problem. Since February 2009, school districts have been required to provide youth in foster care with the same
transportation and other services homeless youth are eligible for
under the federal McKinney Vento Act during their first 6 months in a
placement (Day, 2010). Students remain eligible for services if their
placement changes again until the subsequent placement remains stable
for a period of 6 months.
Several Kidspeak® participants testified about the adverse impact
of mental health problems on school performance. However, they
also expressed concern about the (over)use of psychotropic medications. What they wanted instead was for mental health services to
be trauma-informed.
School-based health centers might be one way to increase access
to those services. They have also been linked to other benefits including higher standardized test scores, fewer attendance and behavior
problems, and reductions in school violence (Conway & Brinson,
2003). Although school-based health centers are not present in
every Michigan county, their number is growing. Also relevant is
Michigan's Foster Care Nurse Home Visitation Pilot, which has been
monitoring the use of psychotropic medication among youth in foster
care since January 2011 (Alavi, Day, Fogarty, McCafferty, & Embaye,
2011).
Although most of the Kidspeak® participants spoke about barriers
to high school completion, college may present an even greater challenge for some. Housing, in particular, seemed to be a big concern.
This suggests that more attention should be paid to not only to helping youth in foster care access postsecondary education but also to
preparing them for the transition to college from high school.
In addition, college-access programs, such as the federal TRIO and
GEAR UP programs, should make a more concerted effort to serve this
population and take their unique circumstances into account. 9
Among other things, these programs can help youth in foster care
with postsecondary aspirations navigate the process of applying to
college and for financial aid.
Although it is impossible to prove a causal link between the two, circumstantial evidence suggests that the testimony given by the young
people at the two Kidspeak® events led to a number of actions by policy
makers and other stakeholders. First, school supplies were purchased
and delivered to several of the pre-college camp program attendees.
Second, the State Court Administrator's Office facilitated placement
changes for a number of youth who had voiced concerns about the safety of their current placement. Third, Michigan's Children partnered with
the State Court Administrative Office to present Educational Issues in
Child Welfare, a cross-training for judges, attorneys, and child welfare
caseworkers on the educational disparities between youth in foster
care and their peers was held. Fourth, the Michigan Supreme Court
agreed to update the Education Benchbook 10 for juvenile court judges.
Fifth, the Child Welfare Services (CWS) division of the State Court
Administrative Office established a workgroup that included judges,
lawyers, child welfare professionals, and foster care alumni focused
on building a strong collaborative partnership with the Detroit Public
Schools (DPS). The workgroup has since evolved into Project C.A.R.E.
(Communication, Action/Accountability, Results and Evaluation). Finally, in July of 2011, the state's consent decree was revised to prioritize the educational needs of children in foster care. Resources were
appropriated in the state budget to provide incentives for up to six
Michigan colleges and universities to adopt college access and retention programs.
9
TRIO programs target low-income students, first-generation college students, and
students with disabilities. GEAR UP targets students in low-income elementary and
secondary schools. The goal of both U.S. Department of Education administered programs is to increase high school completion and college enrollment by providing a
variety of academic, counseling, and college preparatory service (Kuenzi, 2005).
10
Addressing the Educational Needs of Children in Foster Care in Michigan Resources and
Best Practices (2007) Retrieved from http://courts.mi.gov/scao/resources/bestpractice/
AddressingEducationalNeeds.pdf.
1013
A major limitation of this study is its small and purposive sample.
Only young people who were pursuing or known by their caseworkers as having an interest in pursuing postsecondary education
were included. Their experiences and opinions may not represent
those of the larger population of foster care youth and alumni with
college aspirations. The sample was also predominantly African
American and white. Future research should include students who
identify as American Indian, Asian American, or Latino.
5.10. Conclusion
A comprehensive understanding of the factors that affect high school
completion and college access among youth in foster care requires the
perspectives of all stakeholders, including youth themselves. “Nothing
about us without us,” a saying coined by advocates in the disability
rights movement (Charlton, 1998), best captures this notion that
youth should be engaged in policy discussions about how to help them
overcome the many challenges to educational attainment that they face
Acknowledgment
The important contributions made by others to this research were
much appreciated. Thanks and best wishes for a successful future to the
young people who participated in the Kidspeak® events at Michigan
State University and Western Michigan University. Thanks also to Jack
Kresnak, Michele Corey, Gary Anderson, Joan Howarth, Lori Blankenship,
& Yvonne Unrau who provided valuable support and assistance.
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