Caregivers, school liaisons, and agency advocates speak out about the educational needs of children and youths in foster care.

Children in foster care comprise a population of students at great risk for school failure. The child welfare agency, schools, and home must all work together to provide the services and supports required to achieve better results. The purpose of this study was to conduct focus groups with participants from each sector to discuss their views on the educational problems and needs of students in foster care and their recommendations for what is needed to improve the academic prospects of foster students.

Removing barriers to educating children in foster care through interagency collaboration: a seven county multiple-case study.

This multiple-case study examines interagency collaboration between child protective services (CPS), local education agencies (LEAs), and other public agencies in seven California counties. These agencies were provided technical assistance to remove barriers impeding the education of children in foster care and improve their educational outcomes. Results of this study suggest that making changes to remove educational barriers for foster children and improve their educational outcomes requires successful collaboration between CPS and LEAs and strong leadership within at least one of the agencies.

The experiences of foster children and youth in special education.

Background: Although a large number of children in foster care in the United States are receiving special education services, little is known about their educational experiences.

Method: This exploratory study used focus group research to look more closely at the complexity of the problems and needs that this population experiences with the special education system.

Results: Five major procedural issues, relating to identification and placement in special education and provision of appropriate services, were identified.

Helping social workers address the educational needs of foster children.

Objective: The main aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Education Initiative, an intervention program in one of the largest urban counties in the US seeking to increase the responsiveness of social workers to the educational needs of foster children.

Method: A pre-post test control group design was used. Data from case files and social workers were examined at the start of the project and 18 months later to determine changes in social workers' (a) knowledge and practices regarding school programs and services and (b) maintenance of educational records for children on their caseloads.