Meeting the Educational Requirements of Fostering Connections

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 created a new mandate for education enrollment and stability for children and youth in foster care. This brief aims to help agency leaders, policymakers, judges, and their partners understand and respond effectively to the education requirements of Fostering Connections by reflecting on lessons learned from initiatives to improve education outcomes for youth in and leaving foster care during the past decade. It focuses on how policies and practices implemented in response to Fostering Connections can provide the foundation for collaborative education supports that lead more youth in foster care to complete high school and pursue and succeed in postsecondary education. The brief is organized in alignment with lessons learned from innovative education projects around the nation. Following an overview of the requirements of Fostering Connections, the brief includes a framework for effective cross-system co ordination and highlights actions that leaders of the child welfare system, education system, and courts can take to promote education success for youth in care. The brief also provides examples of existing state and local efforts to improve the education continuity and stability of older youth in foster care. This resource is authored by Margaret Flynn-Khan, and is available through the Finance Project and Youth Transition Funders Group. (2010)
FCWG_EducationLessonsLearned.pdf