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WHAT KEEPS CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE FROM SUCCEEDING IN SCHOOL

Finally, we would like to thank all of the students and staff from the four Bronx middle schools who participated in the study, as well as the foster parents and caseworkers. Their insights and words give life to this report. A large portion of the half million children in foster care nationwide perform poorly in school. They lag behind their non-foster peers academically and are more likely to have behavior and discipline problems. This study draws on interviews with foster children and adults to better understand how being in foster care affects a child's education on a day-today basis, and how the adults around these children can help them perform more successfully in school. Vera researchers studied the educational experiences of 25 children in foster care who were participating in an experimental program designed to improve their achievement. We recorded extensive narratives from each child about the educational obstacles they face at the four Bronx middle schools they attend, and we interviewed 54 key adults in their lives (school staff, foster parents, and caseworkers) to learn what they regard as obstacles to the children's educational success. We found that foster children face roadblocks that other economically disadvantaged children do not face, roadblocks that can affect their academic performance. The children had concerns about maintaining ties with their biological parents and caring for siblings that often distracted them from schoolwork. Mandated court appearances and doctors' appointments caused them to miss school frequently. Behavior problems—both aggression and withdrawing—which may be rooted in pre-placement trauma, kept them from focusing on school. And they often avoided social interactions with peers in order to keep their foster status hidden. Yet they blamed themselves—not foster care or the schools—for their poor academic achievement. The adults in these foster children's lives often lacked a full picture of their educational needs. Foster parents were most concerned with the children's behavior; they rarely expressed concern with their foster children's poor grades, and most did not regularly help with homework. Caseworkers often were not aware of their academic progress, focusing instead on the frequent crises that characterize foster care. School staff usually had little knowledge of a child's foster care background and how bureaucratic demands of the system might explain missed tests or assignments. No one acknowledged primary responsibility for the educational progress of these children. We conclude that establishing primary responsibility for educational matters in each case would be …