Foster Care Fact
- 70% of teens who age out of foster care say they want to attend college, but less than 3% complete a bachelor’s degree.
The first thing that I would like to discuss is the reasoning behind choosing this topic for my blog. When I first began my graduate education at Seattle University, I was assigned a group project in which we had to make a contribution to local organization. My group chose the organization Treehouse.
Treehouse Vision: Treehouse is uniquely committed to improving the lives of our kids living in foster care. No other agency in our region responds to the needs of our foster children like Treehouse.
For this project, my peers and I did research about the Treehouse organization and volunteered to organize and facilitate several afterschool lessons. In working with our Treehouse liaison, we created several math lesson plans for elementary aged students and facilitated an already created curriculum on Career Planning to high school students.
My part in this project was to work with the younger elementary students on their math skills. My peers and I came prepared with math games and activities for a variety of different skill levels. I am ashamed to admit, that I expected the math skills of these students to be much lower than they actually were. We had to come back the next time with more advanced work for them to do. My attitude going into this assignment was not alarming to me at the time. With later reflection though, I wanted to know why I expected these students to have lower math abilities then I would of other (non foster youth) students. One conclusion that I came to, was my own ignorance and pre-conceived judgments. I know now, coming from a more aware and enlightened state, that many teachers have these feelings about a variety of students that come into their classrooms. It is my job to be aware of my preconceived judgments and make sure that they do not hinder my teaching ability or my student’s right to the best education I can provide to them.
Along with my own personal enlightenment, I had an experience outside of just teaching when I was at Treehouse. In working with these students, I realized how difficult their lives had been, were, and would continue to be. Some of these students exhibited behavioral issues that were no doubt a reaction to the difficulties that they had already faced in their young lives.
My brief account with this small group of students ignited in me a passion for their cause. Making sure that all students have the education that they deserve is something that I work hard to achieve in my current job as an educator. Foster youth, like many others groups, are a minority of students who often do not get the education they deserve and have a right to. It will be our journey through this blog to continue to uncover the issues between foster youth and education, as well as how we can facilitate change.
Find more information regarding the Treehouse Organization at their website:
www.treehouseforkids.org
From Foster Care to College Life
March 23, 2001
From Foster Care to College Life
Julee Newberger Connect for Kids (now SparkAction)
Growing up in foster care, Adam Cornell didn't think much about going to college. He moved from home to home outside Seattle, Washington, worrying about food, clothing and shelter more than academics. But toward the end of high school, his best friends and a favorite teacher convinced him that he could succeed in higher education.
"College is not something people talk to foster children about," Cornell says. "They don't grow up with that cultural expectation."
Cornell went to law school at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of Georgetown University, he is one of only 13 percent of kids who age out of foster care and make it through a four-year college. Experts agree that many more kids in foster care could succeed in higher education if they faced fewer barriers. 
"They are not even expected to succeed academically," Cornell says, "but once we start expecting them to succeed, they will."
As a law clerk at the Juvenile Rights Project in Portland, Cornell helped to author legislation that would provide free tuition for Oregon foster children who go to state schools. Eleven other states already have laws that help kids in care move on to higher education.
"I didn't think about cost too much at the beginning," Cornell says, "which is probably a good thing, because it might have scared me. I went in kind of blindly and put my faith in those people who believed in me."
It Takes More Than Money
Young people making the transition from foster care to independence need more than help with tuition costs. More than 20,000 youth aged 16 and older transition from the foster care system each year. Only 50 percent will have graduated from high school. Over half will be unemployed, and a quarter will be homeless for one or more nights.
Young people making the transition from foster care to independence need more than help with tuition costs. More than 20,000 youth aged 16 and older transition from the foster care system each year. Only 50 percent will have graduated from high school. Over half will be unemployed, and a quarter will be homeless for one or more nights.
The 1999 Foster Care Independence Act gave states more leeway in providing programs to help kids during the precarious period of "aging out." But gaps remain. Many foster youth who enter college do so without reliable access to housing or medical insurance, not to mention family support. 
Alfred Perez, who lived in 11 group homes in 4 years, didn't think of himself as a great student, and particularly not as a great test-taker. But thanks to the support of his independent living program in Contra Costa County, California, he applied to college and was accepted.
"I only applied because I knew there were dorms on campus," Perez says, "and I knew if I got in, I would have somewhere to live. I was so afraid of being homeless."
Perez graduated with a 3.7 GPA and only $2,500 worth of loans, thanks to the independent living program that helped him with his financial aid forms.
"Once I decided on the schools I wanted to apply to, the independent living program contacted the schools themselves," Perez says. "I didn't qualify for certain aid because I was working all through high school, so my program made sure that they knew I was a foster youth and my income was temporary. They made sure that I was able to receive full benefits of financial aid," Perez says.
A Pell Grant paid for much of his tuition, and his job as a resident assistant took care of housing. Perez worked during the summer to pay for books and living expenses. He also benefited from a program sponsored by a local nonprofit organization and the county department of human services that provides scholarships to youth in transition.
But for many foster youth, applying and reapplying for aid is a struggle. Don Graves, director of the Contra Costa County independent living program, says that filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) itself is the first obstacle. It looks as daunting as an income tax form, and some of the language can be confusing for kids.
"You have to check off 'orphan' or 'ward of the court,'" Graves says. "That signifies you should get more aid. But they're so used to being called foster youth"
David Rippon from the U.S. Dept. of Education says that the government has taken measures to make the FAFSA easier to fill out, such as posting it online. Parents or students who don't have financial aid counselors can call 1-800-4FED-AID for help.
"The kids who are going to have the most difficult time filling out FAFSA and going to college are the kids whose parents didn't go to college," Rippon says. "That group may include foster kids plus others."
Whether or not a student receives financial aid depends on the student's particular situation. Foster youth applying to college should be eligible for Pell Grants, the only federal aid that students do not have to repay. They are also eligible for Stafford Loans, although the amount depends on whether or not the student has income from part-time jobs.
Special Challenges
Many foster youth have moved from school to school throughout their education and find that they have gaps in their learning. They may not be prepared to take on a full course load, which also has impact on their eligibility for financial aid.
Many foster youth have moved from school to school throughout their education and find that they have gaps in their learning. They may not be prepared to take on a full course load, which also has impact on their eligibility for financial aid.
Adam Cornell says that many foster youth have not yet learned basic studying skills and time management. "How do you sign up for classes, manage your time, work and go to school when you haven't formed meaningful relationships with people who have already been through it?" Cornell asks.
One foster youth describes the experiences of friends who dropped out of school for a semester or took a summer job and found they were no longer eligible for the same amount of aid upon returning. Other kids do not know they are eligible at all because they don't tell financial aid officers that they were once in foster care.
"They miss out on a lot of money because they think it's stigmatizing," she says. "They say, 'I'm out of the system now, that's behind me.'"
Joan Merdinger, a professor at San Jose State University, surveyed foster youth attending the school. She found that many kids did not want to identify themselves with foster care. "People didn't want to be identified as former foster youths because they'd been so marginalized by their status earlier," Merdinger says.
Merdinger found that foster youth on campus were in dire need of food, housing, financial aid, medical insurance, health insurance and counseling. They did not know about faculty mentoring programs, academic advising, legal counseling services, psychiatric counseling, career planning and other services.
To help inform students, Merdinger and her colleagues created a pamphlet about campus services. Rather than addressing the pamphlet to foster youth, they addressed it to first-year students whose parents had not attended college. Merdinger plans a larger survey of foster youth across California State Universities over the next year.
To help inform students, Merdinger and her colleagues created a pamphlet about campus services. Rather than addressing the pamphlet to foster youth, they addressed it to first-year students whose parents had not attended college. Merdinger plans a larger survey of foster youth across California State Universities over the next year.
Programs and Policies
Around the country, programs and policies are beginning to assist foster youth in obtaining a college education. Here is a sample of innovative public and private programs:
Around the country, programs and policies are beginning to assist foster youth in obtaining a college education. Here is a sample of innovative public and private programs:
- California State University, Fullerton, in partnership with the county foster care program, offers the Guardian Scholars program for kids who have been in foster care. The program provides tuition, books, year-round housing and faculty mentors.
- Together with the state department of child welfare, Texas A & M University at Commerce offers a four-year, $1,000 per year scholarship to help pay for room and board for foster youth who qualify. Each student is paired with a faculty or staff mentor and a sponsor family in the community.
- In Massachusetts, the state department of social services provides state college tuition waivers for foster and adoptive youth.
- A Connecticut policy enables the Department of Children and Family Services to pay educational expenses—including books, health care and room and board—for foster youth attending college.
- The Orphan Foundation has given out $1.3 million in scholarships to foster youth in 46 states since 1991. This year, they well give out a total of $1.1 million, thanks to a partnership with Casey Family Programs.
Still, most states do not have legislation or regulations to help foster youth attend college. Eileen McCaffrey of the Orphan Foundation says there is a danger in thinking that piecemeal efforts involving private scholarships and small-scale public programs will ensure that all kids who age out of foster care have a fair chance of going on to college.
Denis Ichikawa of Casey Family Programs agrees. "Tuition is only a small part of the barrier, because most of these children aren't in traditional situations where they have supports from family," Ichikawa says. "Finances are one part of the big picture, which is just getting kids through basic education. What are we going to do to compensate for their lack of support, their living expenses, and a place to go for the holidays?"
For More Information:The Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support offers news you can use on student aid.
The United Negro College fund offers academic scholarships.
The National Resource Center for Youth Development at the University of Oklahoma provides training and assistance to child welfare agencies. Learn more about the Orphan Foundation's scholarship fund in partnership with Casey Family Programs.
Update: In 2001, the Oregon state legislature passed a foster care scholarship bill, and a $100,000 legislative appropriation–a major step toward providing Oregon's most vulnerable population of young people the chance at a brighter future.
Julee Newberger is the former assistant managing editor of Connect for Kids.
Link to article: http://sparkaction.org/content/foster-care-college-life
My Response:
I found this article to be useful in several ways. One, it shows that higher education for former foster youth is achievable. But secondly, it shows how difficult achieving this goal can be. For many high school seniors, figuring out how you are going to pay for college can be a taxing question. This question exists for all foster youth in addition to many more. Foster youth not only need to figure out how to pay for tuition and books, but also for year-round housing and health care to name a few.
One common theme that I see from the success stories in this article where that these students had at least one adult who was able to help push and guide them in the process of getting their education. Unfortunately, I don’t imagine that all foster youth has a resource so readily available. In addition to making the process of getting the support needed to go to college, we as a society should be creating a support system that follows through the application process to the transition into independent adulthood. While programs like this do exist on a small scale, this is not enough to help the thousands in foster care today.
“Foster youth comprise one such subpopulation of vulnerable youth. Research indicates that, during the transition to adulthood, former foster youth experience poorer outcomes than do youth in the general population.” (Cosner Berzin, 2008)
My Response:
Cozner-Berzin in an article published by The University of Chicago Press presents some of the possible reasons why foster students are more likely to be vulnerable, but indicates that most studies are timid to give actual reasons as to why foster children are less likely to succeed in their adult lives. From the research that I have done so far, the reason seems to be pretty clear; foster students lack the support to successfully make the transition from high school to complete independence and higher education. Not only are these students often not told that higher education is something that they can obtain, many do not have the support systems comprised of information and finances which are necessary to attend college. These students are often not raised to think that they can go to college, if they do, they often get bogged down by the processes to make it possible.
“The transition from school to work is an important part of a successful transition into adulthood. A successful transition includes high educational attainment and economic self-sufficiency. Research finds that the rate of high school dropout or of not completing a general equivalency diploma (GED) is higher for foster youth than for youth in the general population.” (Cosner Berzin, 2008)
Another reason why foster youth are less likely to obtain any kind of higher education…many have not even made it through high school.
“As foster youth struggle with high school completion, they will continue to have low levels of postsecondary enrollment and college completion.” (Cosner Berzin, 2008)
FOSTER CARE TO COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP:
EVALUATION OF EDUCATION OUTCOMES FOR FOSTER YOUTH
Summary:
The Foster Care to College Partnership
(FCTCP) was a three year foundation-funded
initiative led by six different state and
community agencies in Washington State.
The aim of the FCTCP was to increase the
high school graduation and college attendance
rate for youth aging out of foster care.
Foster Care to College partners implemented
an educational campaign (including a website,
direct mail, and local seminars) to encourage
youth to attend college and provide
information and resources to foster students
and their families. In addition, FCTCP
agencies established a statewide volunteer
mentor program and summer college
assistance workshop for foster youth.
As part of the FCTCP initiative, the Institute
was asked to evaluate the effectiveness of
these activities. This report includes the
results of this evaluation. We found that
compared to similar youth in foster care, foster
students who participated in FCTCP programs
were significantly more likely to graduate from
high school and attend the first year of college.
While high school completion and college
enrollment rates for this population are still
low, this research shows that these programs
hold promise in improving the educational
outcomes for youth in foster care.
Washington State
Institute for
Public Policy
110 Fifth Avenue Southeast, Suite 214 PO Box 40999 Olympia, WA 98504-0999 (360) 586-2677 www.wsipp.wa.gov
My Response:
This program is similar to ones in California that have come up in my research thus far. I feel that programs such as this, which can evolve over time and through experience, are the type of programs which foster youth need in order to be able to successfully achieve a higher education. I will show several charts of data from the study. I encourage you to read the entire study document in order to gain a greater understanding of the data. The full article provides more in depth information as to the results of the study, including numerous charts and graphs. Unfortunately, this study stopped in 2009. Like many other studies and government funded projects such as this, funding is limited, runs outs, or gets pulled from the program.
