Addressing Barriers to Educating Foster Children through Laws & Effective Practices

1. Addressing Barriers to Educating Foster Children through Laws & Effective Practices Andrea Zetlin, Ed.D. California State University Los Angeles azetlin@calstatela.edu

2. Children in Foster Care • 427,910 nationwide on Sept. 30, 2015 • 402,378 nationwide on Sept. 30, 2013 (AFCARS 2015) Age

3. Children in Foster Care • 45% White (54% of pop. of children under 18) • 23% African American (14% of pop.) • 20% Hispanic (23% of pop.) • 2% American Indian • 1% Asian American • 6% Two or more races • 2% Unknown or unable to be determined (AFCARS 2015)

4. Children in Foster Care • In out-of-home placement • Relative homes (28%) • Nonrelative foster homes (47%) • Group home (6%) • Institutions (8%) • Trial visit home (5%) • Pre-adoptive homes (4%) • Runaway (1%) • Supervised Independent Living (1%)

5. Children in Foster Care • Removed from the custody of parents by the court (AFCARS, 2015) • Neglect 61% • Physical abuse 13% • Sexual abuse 4% • Drug Abuse Parent 32% • Caretaker Inability to Cope, Abandonment, Relinquishment - 20% • Inadequate Housing, Parent Incarceration, Parent Death – 19% • Medical neglect 2.0% • Other (Child Behavior Problem, Substance Abuse Child) - 13%

6. Educationally Vulnerable Population • Maltreatment at an early age is related to poor developmental outcomes • including physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, relational, and psychological that affect school readiness and later school functioning. • Outcomes similar to children in poverty; however, rates for maltreated children more severe (Wiggins, Fenichel, & Martin, 2007)

7. Education Performance & Outcomes • 75% perform below grade level • 80 % repeat a grade by third grade • 30% receives special education services • On standardized tests, <20% are proficient in English; <10% in Math by 11th grade • Higher rates of absenteeism • Higher rates of disciplinary action due to behavior • Up to 85% have emotional and behavioral problems • Only 40% graduate high school • < 3 % obtain a college degree • > 50% are homeless, incarcerated, or on welfare within 2 yrsof exiting foster care

8. Barriers Once in Foster Care that Effect School Outcomes • Home & school instability - On average, foster youth change schools 6 times, losing 4-6 months of learning after each transfer • Inappropriate school services • Lack of coordination among agencies • No single person to effectively advocate • Aging out of foster care

9. Tuesday – Downward Spiral • Born prenatally exposed to drugs • Starting at 6 months, moved back & forth between foster & relative homes • In 2nd grade found eligible for special ed (DD & ED) • Placed in RSP with counseling • In 9th grade, sent to Non-Public School due to behavior problems • By age 16, she “didn’t care what happened anymore” • Regularly missed school • Talked back to authority figures • AWOL several days at a time from foster home • Vandalized and stole money from foster home • Charged with theft • Sent to Juvenile Hall and case moved to Probation Department

10. IDEA 2004 • Early Intervention Services • To be eligible for Part C funds, a State must ensure that • Appropriate Early Intervention Services are available to • All infants and toddlers with disabilities who are wards of the State (§634(1)) • State policies & procedures must require • the referral for early intervention services for • A child under age 3 who is involved in a substantiated case of abuse or neglect (Sec. 637(a)(6))

11. Early Intervention Services – Early Head Start • Large-scale study of 17 EHS programs (Love et al. 2005) • Compared children who received services with control group of children who did not receive EHS • EHS services • Child development, home visits, child care, parenting education, case management, health care & referrals, family support • Children whose families received EHS services showed • greater cognitive & language development • Less aggressive behavior • Benefits to parents • Greater emotional engagement, increased sustained attention to child’s play, more emotionally supportive, increased time reading & providing stimulating activities, decreased spanking

12. Therapeutic Preschool • Studies show that preschool combined with intensive integrated services has positive effects on young foster children (Fisher et al. 2009) • Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (MTFC-P) • Delivered by a team to the child, foster parent, birth or adoptive parent • Intensive training to foster parents prior to receiving a foster child in their home • Ongoing support & supervision through daily telephone contacts • Weekly foster parent support meetings • 24 hour on-call staff • Behavior specialists working in preschool/daycare/home • Children attend weekly socialization playgroup

13. Therapeutic Preschool • Shows positive effects on young foster children & caregivers • Placement stability for children (Fisher et al. 2009) • Lower stress levels for foster parents associated with managing children’s problem behaviors (Fisher & Kim, 2007)

14. Mental Health Services • Fostering Individualized Assistance Program (FIAP) • Wraparound services • Involves key adults in child’s life to carry out individually tailored case management plan • FAIP program specialists train key adults in child’s life to • Provide a stable home • Clinical treatment • Additional support services • Studies showed • Particularly good outcomes for males with externalizing & delinquent behaviors (Clark et al., 1994, 1998) • Increased placement stability for older adolescent compared to those receiving standard foster care • Reduction in runaway behavior for older adolescents

15. Education Liaisons • In CA all 58 counties have Ed Liaisons that • Serve as bridge between Child Welfare & Ed systems • Ensure proper school placement • Perform enrollment & check out from school • Assist with transfer of grades, credits, records • Complete school transfers in 2 days • Troubleshoot educational barriers • Work to increase academic achievement & graduation rates • Actively advocate for foster youth • Increase understanding of education al needs of foster youth

16. Education Liaisons • Study examined effectiveness of ed liaisons (Zetlin, Weinberg, & Shea, 2006) • Social workers • increased their level of knowledge about ed procedures & programs • Their level of participation in educational process of children on their caseloads • Documentation of ed information in case files • Foster children served by ed liaisons • Improved math & reading achievement test scores • Compared to matched group of foster children not served by liaisons

17. Jose - Exited from Special Education • In 2nd grade, found eligible for special education (SLD) and placed in SDC • Made slow academic progress due to excessive absences and behavior • At age 12, placed with grandparents • Due to parents’ drug use and neglect • In 7th grade, school discontinued his eligibility for special education • Indicating “his poor school achievement was commensurate with his low average general ability” • Education Liaison referred case to nonprofit advocacy law firm • Advocates requested further testing which revealed his processing deficits and learning disabilities • Jose’s IEP was reinstated and eventually appropriately placed in an intensive special education program

18. Stephanie School of Origin • At age 9, placed in highly gifted magnet program • At age 10, removed from mother • Mother’s stopped taking her medication • Paranoid schizophrenia deteriorated • Physically abused Stephanie • Placed by CWA with aunt across town • Local school did not have a gifted program • Aunt wanted her to remain in gifted magnet school • Advanced educational program • Consistent instructional staff • Ed Liaison intervened with district • Arranged for transportation across town to gifted magnet (her school of origin) • After 6 months, mother’s condition stabilized & she returned home • There had been no interruption in schooling

19. Charles - High School Intervention • 16 years old & recently entered care in a group home placement • Absent frequently from school & moved schools often • 2nd grade level reading level • Disruptive and aggressive behavior at school • Suspended several times each year • Failed most classes in high school and had few high school credits • Transferred to a Continuation high school for “a fresh start” • Ed Liaisonbegan “tutoring” him in English literature on a regular basis • Helped with reading & writing, homework, developed rapport and trust • Liaison reviewed his school records • Found classes that he started in one school &finished in another without receiving credit • Liaison arranged for evaluation for special ed Processing problems were identified Addressed through a study skills class and modified assignments • With Liaison’s support, began earning Bs in most classes & was on track to graduate

20. AB490 School of Origin • FY have the right to remain in their school of origin if it is in their best interest, as determined by their education rights holder. • If transferring schools is in their best interest, foster youth have the right to immediate enrollment in equivalent classes at their new school, even without normally required documentation (e.g., proof of residence, transcripts, immunization records). • Child welfare agencies must consider school stability when making placement decisions. Partial Credit Model Policy (Sept 2013) • COEs and school districts must adopt the partial credit model policy and require schools to calculate, issue, and accept partial credits for foster youth based on the calculation formulas.

21. AB490 and SB578 Grades and Credits • FY have a right to receive full or partial credits based on seat-time for all work satisfactorily completed before transferring schools. • Grades cannot be lowered due to absences or gaps in enrollment caused by changes in school or home placements, attendance at court hearings, or participation in any court related activity. • Upon receiving notification of a transfer, the sending school must issue check out grades and calculate and send credits earned on an official transcript to the receiving school within 2 business days

22. AB 167/216 High School Graduation • FY who transfer schools after their second year of high school may opt to graduate by completing only state requirements if they cannot reasonably complete additional local graduation requirements. • FY also have a right to remain in high school for a 5th year to complete local graduation requirements. • Only the education rights holder can exercise the right to graduate under AB 167/216.

23. LCFF, LCAP, and Data-Sharing • LCFF – funds for foster students are a targeted group • LCAP – identifies strategies, goals and measures of academic progress for foster students • New data-sharing requirements to help with accountability and tracking student improvements • CDSS must help CDE identify which students are in foster care and provide information that is helpful to meet the educational needs of these youth. CDE must share this information with school districts and COEs on a weekly basis. • Outcome Reporting: School districts and COEs must relay education outcome, school discipline, attendance, and dropout data to CDE, which must then report this data to the Governor and Legislature biannually

24. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) – Title 1 • SEAs and LEAs must collaborate with CWA to ensure educational stability for children in FC • SEAs must collaborate with DSS (Fostering Connections Act) to ensure that: • FY will remain in school of origin unless not in child’s best interest • If not in best interest, FY will be enrolled in new school even without availability of school records • LEA receiving Title 1 funds must include in local plan, clear written procedures, developed in collaboration with CWA, for how transportation will be provided , arranged and funded, to maintain FY in school of origin (effective: Dec 10, 2016)

25. Questions