Youth in foster care experience significant home and school instability. In California, only 65% of youth in foster care remain in the same school for a majority of the school year, compared to 90% of the typical student population. This contributes to poor education outcomes including lower graduation rates, lower academic testing, and higher rates of chronic absenteeism and school discipline.
Recognizing the importance of school stability, California passed laws requiring a focus on school stability in 2004 and again in a federal law passed in 2015. Yet, despite these legislative changes, many youth in foster care are still not able to achieve stability in school. The Alliance’s Education Program Director Jill Rowland speaks with The Imprint about this issue in their recent article about how several states are struggling to support school stability for youth in care.
