Fostering Futures: Understanding the Educational Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care

Contact:

Dr. Sara Geenen at (503) 725-9604 or geenens@pdx.edu

While the educational experiences of youth in foster care and youth in special education have each been investigated separately, there is an alarming absence of information on the educational experiences of youth who interface with both systems: foster care and special education. It is imperative that the educational and transition experiences of these youth be investigated as they may face additional barriers which impact their educational performance and the quality of their transition planning. For example, research reveals that:

•  Youth in foster care experience significantly higher rates of disability than the general population

•  Youth who experience multiple foster care placements also experience frequent changes in schools, changes in curricula and adjustment to new educational expectations.

•  Child welfare systems severely underestimate the number of youth in their system that receive special education services.

•  Youth in foster care who are identified as needing special education services are significantly less likely to be receiving those services than children outside of care.

The Fostering Futures Research Project is conducting some of the first research on the educational performance and quality of transition planning for high school youth with disabilities in foster care. The project is a collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University, Portland State University, Portland Public Schools, and social service agencies in Oregon. The project consists of three studies:

•  Study 1 investigated the academic performance of high students who were in both foster care and special education, and compared their performance to students in special education only, foster care only and general education only. The findings indicate that foster youth with disabilities lag behind their peers on an number on important academic variables.

•  Study 2 evaluated the transition component of individualized education programs (IEPs) for foster care youth in special education and compared them with the transition plans of youth in special education only. Key findings indicate that the transition plans of youth in care are generally poor in quality, both in absolute terms and in comparison to the plans of their peers.

•  Study 3 is a qualitative investigation of the educational experiences and barriers youth encounter, and the identification of strategies to promote their school success. Focus groups were held with 1) foster care youth with disabilities; 2) child welfare professionals; 3) professionals in special education; 4) Independent Living Providers; and 5) foster parents.

For more information about the project, please contact Dr. Geenen at (503) 725-9604 or geenens@pdx.edu