Bouncing from home to home can lead to a fragmented identity, sense of self and education. In my experience as a teacher, I have worked with many students who have moved to me from a different city, state or country. ALL of these students have had skill gaps which are a result of these moves. Now imagine a foster child who is not only making the switch to a different school, but an entirely different life. These children are faced with psychological struggles that most of us cannot even imagine.
According Ledyard King in his USA Today article Study: Foster Children Learn to Struggle, “There are some 400,000 children in foster care at any one time in the United States.” This is 400,000 students moving from school to school, faced with more challenges then most. In my eyes, these are students who should be given additional care based solely off the situation which they had no say in, or control over.
Yet another challenge ahead for foster youth, is the transition to adulthood. Many children in foster care will not graduate high school and even fewer will pursue higher education. The purpose of this blog is to look at the challenges that foster care children face in making this transition from being in the system, to being able to pursue higher education. Many organizations and state programs have begun trying to make this transition more attainable for foster youth. Together we will look at several success stories, policies and programs which have helped to make this possible. We will also discuss the challenges still ahead for foster youth children.
Shaila,
ReplyDeleteI wish I had paid attention to your topic. I am the self-adopted mother of a foster care young lady that has faced the odds in the article on your discussion page. I am facscinated and intrigued to see what your final blog contains.
Shaila,
ReplyDeleteYour introduction is informative and gives the issue life. Your Lit review has some valuable resources although the formatting didn't transfer well from what I suspect was a word document to the page (I had the same problem with spacing). There are two very good radio links on your Lit page and at least one program I know is fantastic (Casey Family) working with foster families and foster kids. I don't see the charts and the two photos didn't load on the Connect for Kids Article on the Lit review page but the information is there to read.
I'm not sure what the explicit question might be (posed as such) but I can see the problem the blog is highlighting and addressing - how do foster kids transition from foster care and get support for higher ed?
The Lit review seems to be more of a resource than a review of resources but for me, that makes it more helpful than a series of statements with references (that's my take at least). Because of the things above I believe you have a solid 38 points for the Narrative, full 25 points for the Bibliography and 15 points for the Letter to teachers - straight to the point and helpful! Good job.
Shalia,
ReplyDeleteI love your topic, especially because this issue is not always on my radar. Foster care children indeed face many challenges and as educators we need to make sure they are receiving the support they need.
This comment is suppose to be on your letter, but I am unable to comment on that page. In response to your letter, I agree that educators need to be aware of the organizations and recourses available to foster youth. Support systems need to be in place, especially for students leaving high school. I like the idea of providing adult mentors to these students to help guide them along the way. Thank you for your letter!
ReplyDeleteI am excited to read your blog. It is a topic that more people, especially educators, should be familiar. The more we know about the realities of home and circumstances for foster kids, the more we can support them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your letter to educators. I do think we need to be more aware of our students' life outside of school. If we wonder why the young ones assume we live at school and are surprised to see us in the grocery store we shouldn't for we tend to treat our students in a similar fashion. How many of us think about the realities waiting for our students when they get home? It is a daunting idea, but also a beautiful idea to get to know each student's living situation and the status of their family.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a blog, Shaila. It is hard to believe 400,000 kids are in foster care at any one time. I think this blog is incredibly valuable, not just for educators with foster students, but also with students who are not in foster care services. It's imperative teachers understand the complexities and issues connected to all of our students.
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