Title I, Part D (Neglected or Delinquent Education ) Programs and Special Education Coordination

1. Title I, Part D (Neglected or Delinquent Education) Programs and Special Education Coordination John McLaughlin Federal Program Manager, Title I, Part DU.S. Department of Education (OESE, SASA)

2. Framing the Issue Simon Gonsoulin Director, NDTACAIR

3. Who is NDTAC? The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC) is a national resource center funded by ED providing direct assistance to state and local educational agencies, juvenile justice facilities, and community schools in the implementation of Title I, Part D (TIPD). NDTAC provides technical assistance through: • Direct communication with State coordinators and colleagues • Peer-to-peer community calls • Webinars and other virtual events • NDTAC National Conferences • Briefs, fact sheets, toolkits, and guides • National, State, and local conference presentations • www.neglected-delinquent.org

4. Education for Youth in Child Welfare Question: Who is responsible for the education of youth engaged in the child welfare system? Answer: Everyone responsible for the well being of a child is inherently responsible for his or her academic achievement.

5. Characteristics of Youth in Child Welfare As compared to their non-system-involved peers, youth involved with the foster care system more often face: • Higher rates of educational failure • Unemployment • Poverty • Single parenting • Mental health concerns • Housing instability • Victimization (Osgood, Foster, Flanagan, Ruth, 2005)

6. Collaboration is Key • Unfortunately, many agency policies, practices, and services intended to help youth involved in the child welfare system are often limited, duplicative , and/or fragmented. • Collaboration is the key to achieving practice, policy, and cultural changes that support educational stability and achievement for children and youth in care and for those responsible for their well-being. (Casey Family Programs, 2011)

7. Barriers to Collaboration • Philosophical barriers between systems: different goals and missions • Structural barriers: separate agencies with separate funding streams and management structures, information-sharing challenges, desire to protect one’s turf • Language and communication barriers: lots of jargon in all agencies, different ways of speaking about youth and families, lack of mechanism to allow systems to routinely communicate with one another • Staff resistance barriers: collaboration can be threatening to staff, staff may feel out of their element if forced to think and act differently, reluctant to work with young adult offenders Source: NCMHJJ

8. Possible Solutions • Establishing and solidifying strong collaborations between child welfare and education • Establishing and implementing formalized information sharing agreements • Convening cross-agency training and meetings • Addressing challenges through strategic problem solving • Acting as advocates for the promotion of youth’s educational stability and success (Christian, 2003)

9. Introduction to the Panel Panel Format: • David OsherAmerican Institutes for Research • Peter Leone University of Maryland • Maura McInerney, Esq. Education Law Center

10. The Connection Between School Climate, The Conditions for Learning, and Academic Success David Osher Vice President, American Institutes for Research Co-Director, Human and Social Development Program

11. Outline • Outcomes • Challenge posed by trauma and mental health needs

12. Dismal Long Term Outcomes • On Your Own without a Net (McArthur Foundation study of Transition to Adulthood of Vulnerable Populations) • homelessness, • mental health issues, • disabilities • special health care needs (Osgood, Foster, Flanagan, & Ruth, 2005) • 3/10 of homeless adults former foster children (Casey Family Programs, 2001) • 1/3 former Foster children need public assistance after 18 (Cournteny, Grogan-Taylor, Nesmith, 1998) • Education Key to Success (Cook, 1992; National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2002)

13. Education and Children in the Child Welfare System • Poorer Education Outcomes • AIR California Study (Parrish et al., 2005) • Chicago Example Graduation Rates: 1998-2003: • All Students – 59% • Children in Forster Care – 32% • More identification as special education classification or an emotional or behavioral disturbance (Smithgall, Gladden, Yang, Goerge, 2005) • Poorer Education Placements (Allensworth, Bryk, Easton, Luppescu & Sebring, Forthcoming) • More mobility(COURTNEY, RODERICK, SMITHGALL,GLADDEN, & NAGAOKA, 2004)

14. National Working Group on Foster Care and Education: Long Term Goals • Educational stability for children and youth in foster care • Seamless educational transitions for children and youth when education changes do occur • High quality educational experiences, expectations and aspirations for young people in foster care • Greater national attention to the disparate educational outcomes for young people in foster care, particularly children and youth of color

15. What is our Standard of Success? • Is Being On Track Sufficient? • Northwest Foster Alumni Study (Washington & Oregon) • Alumni obtained a high school diploma or passed the general education development (GED) test at the same rates as 25-to-34-year-olds generally • 84.5% versus 87.3% • But , they were much less likely to have a bachelor’s degree • 1.8% versus 22.5%.

16. The Particular Challenges of Trauma and Mental Health Needs • Removal from a family – no matter how dangerous the situation – is emotionally traumatizing for the child.  • What precedes OR follows removal, may also cause trauma or retraumatization Over 54% of foster care alumni had at least one mental health problem (depression, social phobia, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others) compared with 22.1% of the general population • About one quarter of the alumni experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). • This figure is greater than the prevalence of PTSD among Vietnam or Iraq war veterans — about 15%.

18. Impact of Trauma • Increased Depression • Anxiety • Anger • Behavioral Problems • Greater alcohol and substance abuse • Lower Academic Achievement • The altered neural systems can shape behavioral that affect learning and subject to adult counter-aggression

19. Trauma and Mental Health Needs • Relational issues are particularly important for children in the child welfare system due to the likelihood of exposure to trauma or the existence of mental health issues.

20. Responding to Trauma • EVERY system involved needs to be addressing the feelings and fears that result and not retraumatize • Some (maybe a lot) of the “troubling” behaviors children exhibit in foster care and “special schools” is due to: • system ignorance of this trauma, and • failure to provide the essential emotional supports to overcome the anxieties.

21. Placement Instability • Mobility is a risk factor (Osher, Morrison, & Bailey, 2002) • Children experience frequent moves from one placement to another due to: • A STUDY OF PLACEMENT STABILITY IN ILLINOIS • challenges in meeting the emotional and developmental needs of foster children, often without adequate resources (Zinn, DeCoursey, Goerge, and Courtney, 2006)

22. Placement Instability • Children experience frequent moves from one placement to another due to: • challenges in meeting the emotional and developmental needs of foster children, often without adequate resources three-quarters (75.9%) of children's most recent placement moves were due, at least in part, to foster parents' inability or unwillingness to continue fostering • the reason most commonly cited was foster parent's inability to tolerate children's behavioral or emotional problems (27.6%). Zinn, DeCoursey, Goerge, and Courtney, 2006

23. Implications for Schools: Background • Emotions and social emotional capacities affect learning and teaching • Relationships and social and emotional capacity provide a foundation for learning and transition planning • Contexts affect emotions and relationships • Learning is social process that depends upon the ability of the student to attend and the teacher to personalize

24. Implications for Schools: Background • There are measurable conditions for learning that affect the ability of students to attend and teachers to personalize • There are measureable social emotional capacities that affect the conditions for learning • Conditions and capacities can be improved through intervention.

25. What Affects Learning Outcomes? Capacities Conditions

26. Conditions for Learning (CFL) • Safety • Physically safe • Emotionally safe • Treated fairly and equitably • Avoid risky behaviors • School is safe and orderly • Support , Care, & Connection • Meaningful connection to adults • Experience of Care & Respect • Strong bonds to school • Positive peer relationships • Effective and available support • Challenge & Engagement • High expectations • School is connected to life goals • Strong personal motivation • Academic Engagement • Rigorous academic opportunities • Social Emotional Competency • Emotional intelligence • Self Regulation • Culturally competence • Responsible and persistent • Cooperative team players • Contribute to school community Osher et al., 2008

27. Safety and Statewide Tests

28. Implications for Children in Foster Care: National Working Group on Foster Care and Education Research Findings: • Changing schools hinders academic achievement • Students must be enrolled in school quickly and consistently • Regular school attendance matters • Children must have support to prevent serious behavior problems at school • Multiple moves often mean lower test scores Research Highlights on Education and Foster Care (July 2011)

29. Implications for Children in Foster Care: National Working Group on Foster Care and Education Research Findings (cont.): • Holding students back can lead to dropping out of school • Children’s special education needs must be met with quality services • Support is needed to ensure students graduate • Financial aid, scholarships and housing support lead to college success • A strong start is especially important for young children in foster care Research Highlights on Education and Foster Care (July 2011)

30. Children in Foster Care Can Be Negatively Affected by • Low Teacher and Staff Support • Negative Peer Relationships • Chaotic & Reactive Environments • Poor Instructional and Behavioral Practices

31. Social and Emotional Conditions for Being Off Track

32. CFL by Ethnicity • African American students provided the lowest ratings on the Safety Scales and the Social Emotional Scales.

33. Both Supportive Relationships Between Teachers and Students and Social Emotional Learning Promote: • Student engagement • Positive attitudes towards learning • A sense of belonging toward school • Academic motivation • Academic achievement (Barber & Oson, 1997; Begin & Begin, 2009; Birch & Ladd, 1997, Christenson & Anderson, 2002; Connell Halpern-Felsher, Clifford, Crichlow, & Usinger, 1995; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, & Taylor, 2011; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Osterman, 2000; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, Walberg, 2004 Wentzel, 1997; Wentzel & Wigfield, 1998)

34. Why Are Conditions for Learning Important? • Maximizing the amount of time that students really attend to learning • working memory (Davidson, 2002) • chemical changes (e.g., cortisol) • Maximizing the opportunity for the teacher to: • Concentrate and differentiate • Teach in the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978) • Personalizing instruction • Scaffolding learning and support

35. The Zone of Proximal Development for Learning and Development (frustration) challenge ZPD (boredom) support Adapted from: Nakkula, & Toshalis, 2006

36. Teaching and developing behaviors, habits, and social problem-solving skills that are important for success in school, work, and life (Social Emotional Learning) • Self-Awareness (e.g., identifying and recognizing own emotions, recognizing strengths) • Social Awareness (e.g., empathy, respect for others) • Responsible Decision Making (e.g., evaluation and reflection, personal responsibility) • Self-Management (e.g., impulse control, stress management) • Relationship Skills (e.g., working cooperatively, help seeking and providing)

37. Evidence of Success with SEL • 23% increase in skills • 9% improvement in attitudes about self,others, and school • 9% improvement in prosocial behavior • 9% reduction in problem behaviors • 10% reduction in emotional distress • 11% increase in standardized achievement test scores (math and reading) Source: Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Taylor, R.D., & Dymnicki, A.B. (in press, Child Development). The effects of school-based social and emotional learning: A meta-analytic review

38. SEL & Attitudes • Higher sense of self-efficacy • Better sense of community (bonding) and view of school as caring • More positive attitudes toward school and learning • Higher academic motivation and educational aspirations • Greater trust and respect for teachers • Improved coping with school stressors • Increased understanding of consequences of behavior

39. What Youth Say Teachers Can Do • Demonstrate Caring and Respect • Make a serious effort to know every student well so they feel supported and motivated to learn • Plan • Provide students with the information they need to do their work • Be clear about expectations and concepts. • Create opportunities for students really learn about classmates’ cultures to help reduce negative peer interactions • Don’t do things that embarrass individual students • Don’t write them off.

40. What Former Foster Care Youth Say Works The most important things to be successful: • Caring, motivated mentors • Role models • Adults who listen to them • Encouragement and high expectations from others • Boundaries and structure from adults

41. What Former Foster Care Youth Say Works The most important things to be successful: • Having basic needs met (e.g., housing, nutrition, clothing) • A stable living situation • Supportive friends who are a positive influence; avoidance of peers who are a negative influence • Support to develop good mental and emotional health

42. What Former Foster Care Youth Say Works The most important things to be successful: • Adequate educational support (e.g., financial aid for higher education, assistance transitioning to college, help learning how higher education systems work) • Hope, self-confidence, a sense of responsibility, and personal goals • Faith, a belief in something

43. What Former Foster Care Youth Say Works The most important things to be successful: • Opportunities to develop and model healthy relationships (e.g., with younger siblings) • Opportunities to develop talents and participate in enrichment activities (e.g., sports) • Opportunities to develop skills for leadership and professionalism (e.g., presenting self well, being articulate)

44. Bottom Line • Cannot Improve Foster Care Outcomes Without Addressing Mental Health and Social Emotional Learning • Cannot Address Mental Health Outcomes Without Addressing Schools • Cannot Succeed Without Addressing the Social Relationships Between and Among Youth and Adults • Cannot Address Either Without Addressing Need For Capacity & Support • Cannot Succeed At Everything Without a Three-tiered Approach that Addresses Promotion, Prevention, as Well As Treatment

45. Bottom Line • Need to be: • Strengths Based • Youth Driven • Family Driven • Culturally Competent • Minimize Risk, Build Protective Factors • Focus on Thriving • Build Settings that Develop and Support Resilience

46. Bottom Line • Race & Ethnicity Matter • Culture and Language Matter • Poverty Matters • Local Context Matters • Families Matter • Youth Voice Matter • Capacity Matters

47. Resources • Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide, Revised and Expanded (Sopris West) • Teaching and Working with Children with Emotional and Behavioral Challenges (Sopris West) • Addressing Student Problem Behavior (Parts 1, 2, 3) (CECP) • “Schools Make a Difference,” in Racial Inequity in Special Education, The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and the Harvard Education Press

48. References • Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S. & Easton, J. Q. (2010)0. Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. • Davidson, R. (2002). Anxiety and affective style: Role of prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Biological Psychiatry, 51(1), 68-80. • Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Taylor, R.D., & Dymnicki, A.B. (2011). The effects of school-based social and emotional learning: A meta-analytic review, Child Development, 82 (1), 405-432. • Greenberg, E., Skidmore, D., & Rhodes, D. (2004, April). Climates for learning: mathematics achievement and its relationship to schoolwide student behavior, schoolwide parental involvement, and school morale. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Researchers Association, San Diego, CA. • Gregory, A., & Weinstein, R. S. (2004). Connection and regulation at home and in school: Predicting growth in achievement for adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19, 405–427. • Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge. • Muller, C. (2001). The role of caring in the teacher-student relationship for at-risk students. Sociological Inquiry, 71, 241–255. • Nakkula, M. J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding youth: Adolescent development for educators. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press. • National Working Group on Foster Care Education. (July 2011). Research Highlights on Education and Foster Care. Seattle, WA: Casey Family Programs. Retrieved from http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/EducationalOutcomesFactSheet.pdf.

49. References • Osher, D., Bear, G., Sprague, J., & Doyle, W. (January-February, 2010). How we can improve school discipline. Educational Researcher, 39 (1), 48-58. • Osher, D. & Kendziora, K. (2010). Building Conditions for Learning and Healthy Adolescent Development: Strategic Approaches in B. Doll, W. Pfohl, & J. Yoon (Eds.) Handbook of Youth Prevention Science. New York: Routledge. • Spier, E., Osher, D., Kendziora, K., Cai.,C. (2009). Alaska Ice Summative Report. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. • Osher, D., Sidana, A., & Kelly, P. (2008) Improving conditions for learning for youth who are neglected or delinquent. Washington, D.C.: National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth who are Delinquent, Neglected, or at Risk. • Osher, D., Poirier, J. A., Dwyer, K. P., Hicks, R., Brown, L. J. Lampron, S., & Rodrigquez, C. (2008). Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Audit: Findings and recommendations.Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. • Osher, D., Sprague, J., Weissberg, R. P., Axelrod, J., Keenan, S., Kendziora, K., & Zins, J. E. (2008). A comprehensive approach to promoting social, emotional, and academic growth in contemporary schools. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.) Best practices in school psychology V, Vol. 4 (pp. 1263–1278). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. • Ryan, A. M., & Patrick, H. (2001). The classroom social environment and changes in adolescents’ motivation and engagement during middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 437–460. • Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press.

50. Children in Out-of-Home Care Best Practices, Evidence-Based Practices, and Evaluating Programs Peter Leone University of Maryland