Foster Youth Research Paper

Foster Youth Theoretical and Historical Development

Introduction to the Problem
Imagine you have just turned 9 years old and in a whirlwind of uncertainty you have just been removed by Child Protective Services from the only home you have ever known. You have been subjected to trauma; physically abused, verbally abused, and to some extent neglected as well. You now live in a temporary shelter where you are housed with 8 other children your age being taken care of by various staff; you are scared and lost, unsure about your future. You are forced to leave the only school you have ever attended in order to attend a school closer to your new “placement.” You have been torn from your family and friends making you feel all the more alone and frightened. This process of movement in school and placement will occur several times over the next few years placing you in a continual state of chaos. Each school transition moves you further behind in a perpetual state of academic catch up. Although this story was hypothetical, this is the long-standing reality for many foster youth. The actual implications of real life experiences for foster youth encompass personal, emotional, and educational problems. This

research paper will examine the background, contemporary issues, and perspectives of stakeholders when it comes to better education for foster youth.
Background
Currently there are just under half a million foster youth residing in the United States, many will fail to graduate from high school, and only a few will graduate from college (Children’s Bureau, 2014). Unless additional support and guidance is received foster youth will continue to fail the educational system. Lacking the proper support, skills, and leadership foster youth will continue to be an at-risk group. Foster youth being at-risk is by no means is a recent phenomena as it dates back to the dawn of education. Several philosophical and educational leaders have championed the cause of foster youth over the centuries.
One of the most well known educational philosophers who furthered education for foster youth (then called orphans) was Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Pestalozzi who lived in the eighteenth century served as a father figure to many orphans. Pestalozzi believed all humans even orphans could uplift and regenerate through education. Pestalozzi was a proponent of educating the whole child and believed emotional growth was just as important as cognitive growth. Pestalozzi was an advocate for orphans and believed that by humanly educating all students it would create a society of humanitarians. Pestalozzi spent the majority of his career educating the poor, and found in order to be successful he needed to build self-esteem and create an atmosphere similar to the home environment (Gutek, 2011). This concept of self-esteem and creating a home like environment can still be seen in today’s educational system as teachers try to make classrooms as inviting and positive as possible, this is still strongly needed to better educate foster youth (Plante, 2014a).
This tradition of progressive education would continue into the nineteenth century and can be seen in the works of Jane Adams. Adams who strongly believed in social progression opened up Hull House which was geared to preserve ethnic heritage and in adding the urban poor, orphans were among the many urban poor that the Hull House sought to educate. Adams not only believed in multicultural education, she also believed in vocational training too, philosophies which are still incorporated in today’s curriculum (Gutek, 2011). Jane Adams believed that a student’s background was a part of who they inherently were and it should be celebrated and shared, this concept could go a long way in helping to assimilate and better facilitate the learning and success of students that are foster youth. Even with as much progression as education has seen academic barriers for foster youth still exist.
Literature Review
In addition to theoretical and historical foundations, foster youth faced many barriers when it came to education. Adding to the data on barriers to education for foster youth was a study completed by Pecora, Williams, Kessler, Hirpi, O’Brien, Emerson, Herrick and Torres (2006). This research focused on the educational achievement of youth placed at in Casey foster care with a sample size of 1082 utilizing interviews. The research only focused on one residential care facility therefore results may not apply to the population at large. However the research had interesting fringe findings, such as the effects of mental health on foster youth adding to the barriers of education. Foster youth are often dealing with more stress than the average student. In the Pecora et al (2006) study, they found that half the respondents interviewed had been diagnosed with a psychological disorder at some point, an added obstacle that many foster youth faced.
Research conducted by Merdinger, Hines Lemon, Osterling and Wyatt, (2005) focused on the viewpoint of former foster youth. The study used surveys of 11 different state universities, resulting in 252 survey responses and ending with a final sample size of 216 respondents. Surveyed former foster youth completed the 20-30 minute survey and the data was analyzed. The surveys revealed the number one concern for foster youth attending college was financial concerns, as well as a lack of time to be able to utilized university services. Most concerning was the fact that a majority of respondents expressed not being adequately prepared for college, “overall 63.8% reported that the foster care system did not prepare them very well for college” (Merdinger, 2005, p.883). Ultimately what the data showed was that more perspectives were needed in order to meet the extensive needs of foster youth (Plante 2014b).
The intense needs of foster youth are strongly felt as they continue to be an underperforming group, “research has confirmed foster youth compose a population of students extremely vulnerable to failure and early school leaving” (Zetlin, MacLeod, & Kimm, 2012, p. 4). Most of the previous data focus on the contributing factors for foster youth failures, as expressed by Zetlin, Weinberg, and Shea (2006), “The trauma of abuse or neglect, disruption from frequent placement moves and school transfers, and lack of adequate nurturing and guidance, and support result too often in former foster youths not attaining the skills they need to support themselves as adults” (p. 165). Ultimately what the data showed was more supports were needed in order for foster youth to find success, legislation played a primary role in taking necessary steps to connect foster youth to successful outcomes (Plante 2014b).
Contemporarty Policies and Practices
As identified by the research foster youth have long been thought of as an at-risk population, often failing the Educational system. This statement is particularly true for the state of California which has the largest population of foster youth with approximately 56, 138 youth (Children’s Bureau, 2014). With graduation rates near the fiftieth percentile and college graduation rates in the single digits, this at-risk population is in need of more support (Friends of Foster Families, 2014). Contemporary legislation has been enacted to begin the official process of protecting the educational rights of foster youth in order to help them increase success rates in the current system of education, and to allow for more favorable results in helping foster youth be successful (Plante, 2014b).

Low graduation rates coupled with high homeless rates increased foster youth status as an at-risk population. In order to create more stability legislation was instated on January 1, 2004 titled Assembly Bill 490 (AB 490) which granted more educational rights to foster youth. Among the rights granted included school stability, which indicated that agencies must consider the new placements proximity to the youth’s school, and the impact the placement with have on the youth. AB 490 also granted foster youth the right to remain in the school of origin if it was in their best interest. AB 490 enacted the immediate enrollment and timely transfer of school records for schools to allow foster youth to enroll without delay. Lastly, AB 490 protected foster youth against loss of credits due to absences caused by placement changes and court hearings (Assembly Bill 490). While this was a good start to promoting success within the foster youth community more legislation was needed.
On September 30, 2010 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 12 (AB 12) the California Fostering Connection to Success Act into a law (California Fostering Connections to Success, 2014). AB 12 added much needed support to foster youth as it, “changed foster care by optionally extending foster care until age 21 and increased support for foster youth” (California youth Connections Organization, 2013). The passing of AB 12 represents a statewide acknowledgement that more support would be needed to ensure foster youth success (Plante, 2014b).
More recently, in 2013 California furthered its efforts to support at-risk populations, including foster youth and enacted the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).

The intent was to allow stakeholder input on how local funding would be implemented in order to further support student achievement and growth, with an emphasis on underperforming sub-groups, including foster youth (Ventura County Office of Education, 2014). This plan allowed more localized control of funding and created much needed support for underperforming populations in an effort to increase academic success rates (Plante, 2014b). Even with legislation moving in the right direction to help support foster youth, other changes especially within the system of education must also

occur.
Connection to the Problem
The research established foster youth as an at-risk group and in need of more legislative, informal, and formal support in order to create better graduation rates for college and trade schools. The research also identified barriers to education that exist for foster youth, among were barriers are lack of stability, mental health concerns, school mobility, advocacy, and socialization. Previous research has also highlighted the importance of former foster youth perceptions on how education roadblocks can be removed in order for current foster youth to find more academic success (Plante, 2014b). In the next section three foster youth stakeholders shared their perspective and identified both problematic areas and areas of growth when it comes to educating foster youth.
Perspectives of Foster Youth Stakeholders