The School's Role in Supporting Students in Foster Care to Complete School
Author: Christina M. Casillas
Publisher:
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 238
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKSchool administrators and district leaders are charged with improving educational achievement for all students. At the sdecondary level, this includes increasing the number of students who graduate with a high school diploma. Students in foster care are even less likely than the general high school population to graduate from high school. This study examines the high school educational experience of adults formerly placed in foster care in addition to the school's perceptions of their role in supporting high school students in care. The research questions guiding this study were: How do adults emanipated from foster care perceive their educational experience and to what do they attribute their performance? How do high school personnel perceive students in foster care? How are school support systems utilized to ensure that students in foster care graduate from high school? Interviews with three adults emanicapted from foster care as well as three high school staff were conducted to gather firsthand accounts of the school experience. Data analysis employed the constant comparison method of grounded theory. Students formerly in foster care attributed their school success to their self-motivation to get a diploma, the need to right past wrongs, the pressure of looming adulthood and supports provided by the school. The school staff indicated that treating students equally, communicating with group homes and providing counseling supports and vocational training contributed to the academic success of students living in foster care. A key finding in the interviews with school staff members is their lack of knowledge regarding the laws and policies created to address the educational rights of students in foster care. Identifying the factors that contribute to a student-in-care's educational achievement will assist stakeholders in creating the necessary assistance to support these youth to complete high school.