Foster Youth and Education

Paper Summary:

The paper proposes a study to explores whether reunified foster youth will have higher rates of educational attainment versus non-reunified foster youth. The paper outlines the design and research methods of the study and presents the hypothesis that reunified foster youth will have completed higher levels of education than those who spent at least one year in the foster care system. The paper maintains that federal, state, and local authorities must recognize the critical importance of permanent family connections for youth in foster care if substantial progress is to be made in improving outcomes for these disconnected youth.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methods
Data Analysis
Implications

From the Paper:

"Each year, approximately 20,000 youth age 16 and older, transition from foster care to legal emancipation and find themselves on their own (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2007). Children in foster care are one of the most vulnerable populations within our educational system as they are at great risk for school failure (Zietlin, 2004). With an estimated 542,000 children in the United States foster care system, researchers have begun to look at factors which may impede a child's educational attainment (Zeitlin, 2004). Several studies have started to focus on the lack of support for foster youth, significance of academic, emotional, and behavioral problems youth experience as well as lack of innovative interventions which may improve school outcomes (Zeitlin, 2004)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Babbie, E.R. & Rubin, A. (2008) Research methods for social work (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
• Barth, R.P. (1990). On their own: The experiences of youth after foster care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 7(5), 419-440.
• Bass, S., Shields, M.K., & Behrman, R.E. (2004). Children, families, and foster care: Analysis and recommendations. The Future of Children, 1(14), 4-29.
• Bates, B.C., English, D.J. & Kouidou-Giles, S. (1997). Residential treatment and its alternatives: A review of the literature. Child and Youth Care Forum, 26(1), 7-51.
• Berrick, J.D. (1998). When Children Cannot Remain Home: Foster Family Care and Kinship Care. The Future of Children, 8(1), 72-87.

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