Educational experiences and aspirations of older youth in foster care.

Full Abstract

This study documents the school experiences of 262 youth referred for independent-living preparation from the foster care system of one midwestern U.S. county. Of the youth, 73% had been suspended at least once since the seventh grade, and 16% had been expelled. In the past year, 58% had failed a class, and 29% had physical fights with students. Yet the group reported high educational aspirations:
70% wanted to attend college. Those in congregate care and family settings often had school behavior problems. The results support the need for a system of education advocates who work to maintain proper education placements for youth in foster care and help them receive the academic resources they need to graduate from high school and proceed to college.

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Author information

Author/s: McMillen, Curtis (C); Auslander, Wendy (W); Elze, Diane (D); White, Tony (T); Thompson, Ronald (R);

Affiliation: Washington University, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, St. Louis, MO 63131, USA.

Grants: R01-HD-35445 (Agency:United States NICHD)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Child welfare (Child Welfare), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2003 Jul-Aug; vol 82 (issue 4) : pp 475-95

Dates: Created 2003/07/23; Completed 2003/08/29; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12875372, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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