Project Success: Improving the Educational Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities in Foster Care Through Enhanced Self-Determination (Institute of Educational Sciences CFDA 84.324S).

Statistics reveal that approximately 40% of foster care youth experience a disability, and that youth in care are three times more likely to be referred for special education services. Youth with disabilities in foster care experience significant life disruptions that directly impact their education. They often experience inconsistency in foster care placements, which typically results in a change of schools and the need to adjust to new teacher expectations, curricula and peer groups. Educators are frequently unaware of the unique issues facing special education students in foster care, and similarly, the disability status/special education needs of foster youth are unknown within the child welfare system. In the absence of biological parents, foster care youth with disabilities frequently lack consistent advocates to assure their educational needs are met. These barriers are in addition to the challenges that youth face in overcoming traumatic life experiences that led up to their placement in care. Research has confirmed that foster youth with disabilities lag behind their peers in school, are suffering educationally, and are at significant risk for academic failure.

The purpose of Project Success is to implement the TAKE CHARGE model for enhancing the self-determination of foster youth with disabilities and to systematically evaluate the efficacy of the model in improving educational outcomes. The impact of the intervention will be evaluated with a two-independent group, repeated measures methodology. One hundred and fifty youth who attend Portland Public Schools in Oregon, who are in their Sophomore year of high school, and who are involved in both foster care and special education, will be randomly assigned to either a comparison group that receives typical educational supports or to a treatment group that participates in the key elements of the TAKE CHARGE model, which include:

Instruction and coaching for youth around the identification and achievement of academic goals, including individualized, coordinated educational planning.

In-service training for professionals, delivered by youth, foster parents and project staff, and focused on supporting the unique needs of foster youth with disabilities to promote their educational participation and achievement.

Workshops and ongoing technical assistance for foster parents aimed at enhancing their capacities to support the education and self-determination of foster youth.

Formation of an Interagency Partnership Council that will assist youth to address barriers to their educational success, clarify agency roles and increase collaboration between systems

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Self-determination will be assessed using 3 measures (The Arc’s Self-Determination Scale, AIR Self-Determination Scale and the Youth version of the Family Empowerment Scale.) Academic data will be collected in 11 areas and each will be evaluated separately; in addition, we will overlay the School Archival Records Search over the academic data to provide a global profile of the student educational performance. Dichotomous variables will be analyzed using logistic regression and interval variables will be examined using HLM. For further information, please email Drs. Laurie Powers or Sarah Geenen (Portland State University) at powersl@pdx.edu or geenens@pdx.