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Mason Burley Senior Research Associate Washington State Institute for Public Policy

Educational Attainment of Foster Youth: What Do We Know, and Where Do We Go (from here)? Washington Education Research Association December 5, 2008. Mason Burley Senior Research Associate Washington State Institute for Public Policy Phone: (360) 528-1645 E-mail: mason@wsipp.wa.gov

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Mason Burley Senior Research Associate Washington State Institute for Public Policy

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  1. Educational Attainment of Foster Youth: What Do We Know, andWhere Do We Go (from here)? Washington Education Research Association December 5, 2008 Mason Burley Senior Research Associate Washington State Institute for Public Policy Phone: (360) 528-1645 E-mail: mason@wsipp.wa.gov Institute Publications: www.wsipp.wa.gov

  2. Background Current Project Results Policy Shift Safety & Permanency Well-being & Education The 2000 Legislature asked the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Institute) to: …review and summarize existing research that identifies problems and barriers to improved educational attainment of children in long-term foster care and suggest ways to improve the availability of information about the educational experiences of these children 1 of 20

  3. Background Current Project Results Prior Research (pre-2001) • Focused on older adolescents • Small populations • No comparison groups • Primary outcome – gpa and graduation • Matched foster care records to grade 3, 6, 9, and 11 • Statewide sample (~1,500 foster) • All non-foster youth (~70,000 per grade) with self assessment • Norm referenced test and longitudinal completion • Any history of foster care 2 of 20

  4. Background Current Project Results Results 2000 Iowa Standardized Tests 3 of 20

  5. Background Current Project Results Results On-Time Graduation of 11th Grade Students 4 of 20

  6. Education Attainment Achievement Completion Background Current Project Results Family Factorsparent's education hours per week watching TV English spoken in the home time spent on homework adult helps with homework School Factorschanged school during year first enrolled in school / district educational aspirations feel safe at school opinion of school problems Individual Factors gender / ethnicity special assistance extra-curricular activities aptitude/course work foster care background 5 of 20

  7. Foster 13% School 6% Background Current Project Results Results 6 of 20

  8. Background Current Project Results Adjusted Results (Iowa Tests) 7 of 20

  9. Background Current Project Results Do Any of These Measures of the Foster Care System Relate to Test Scores? 8 of 20

  10. Background Current Project Results Legislative Changes and Initiatives Federal • Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (Chaffee Act) – doubled amount of federal funding for independent living programs • Education and Training Vouchers (2003) – $5,000 per year for tuition assistance for emancipating foster youth • Child and Family Services Review (2003) – “children receive appropriate services to meet educational needs” State • Foster Care Education Workgroup (2002) • Educational Advocacy Program (2006) – 1-2 per DSHS region work with students, parents, teacher, administrators to help with educational progress • Foster Care to College (FCTCP) and Foster Care Passport to College Promise Program (2007) • Braam Monitoring Panel 9 of 20

  11. Current Project Background Results Study Differences 10 of 20

  12. Current Project Background Results Current Study Direction • “The CA will replicate the 2001 WSIPP study Educational Attainment of Foster Youth: Achievement of Graduation Outcomes for Children in State Care for school-age children in foster care three months or longer in FY2005, with inclusion of WASL performance for 4th, 7th and 10th grades and all other variables in the study.” • [Revised Implementation Plan Adolescent Services Action Step 1] [Goal 2, Outcome 3, Action step 1 of February 2006 Braam Implementation Plan] 11 of 20

  13. Current Project Background Results Study Challenges • Record Linkage (FERPA) • Student self-assessment (independent variables) • Test completers / alternate versions 12 of 20

  14. Results Background Current Project Who is a ‘Foster Student’? In the 2005-06 school year, there were… • 81,553 Grade 10 students • 2,299 Grade 10 students with any current or previous foster care placement (2.8%) • 1,276 Grade 10 students with a placement lasting 3 months or more (1.6%) • 382 Grade 10 students with a placement lasting 3 months or more and in active placement at time of WASL • Of the 1,276 Grade 10 youth with 3-month placement, 61% (778) completed WASL 13 of 20

  15. Results Background Current Project Percentage of Students Meeting Standard in All Content Areas of the 2005–06 WASL 14 of 20

  16. Results Background Current Project Percentage of Students Meeting Standard by Subject Area on the 2005–06 WASL 15 of 20

  17. Results Background Current Project Characteristics of 10th Graders Completing the 2005–06 WASL 16 of 20

  18. Results Background Current Project Characteristics of 10th Graders Completing the 2005–06 WASL 17 of 20

  19. Results Background Current Project Characteristics of 10th Graders Completing the 2005–06 WASL 18 of 20

  20. Results Background Current Project After accounting for other differences, foster students are… • 35 percent less likely to meet WASL standards in Grade 4 • 46 percent less likely to meet WASL standards in Grade 7 • 38 percent less likely to meet WASL standards in Grade 10 (non-foster students are 2-3 times more likely to meet WASL standards in all three content areas) 19 of 20

  21. Results Background Current Project Next Steps/Future Analyses Prior WASL scores: Match a student’s 10th grade scores to their previous score (in 7th grade). Expanded definition of high school graduation: NGA standard four-year, adjusted cohort graduation rate Analysis of Educational Advocacy Program IDEAS?? 20 of 20

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