More than 30 percent of California’s approximately 30,000 school-aged youth in foster care regularly experience some of the highest rates of chronic absence and exclusionary discipline.
A new brief from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) details how changes in foster youth classification status impacted attendance and discipline rates in four of California’s CORE school districts — a group of several of the state’s larger school districts that test improvement theories at the school and district levels to provide the infrastructure for multi-district collaborations.
“Instability in the educational experiences of youth in foster care, often driven by frequent changes in foster care placement, contributes to a range of negative outcomes, including high rates of chronic absence and elevated exposure to exclusionary discipline,” the report states. “A less well-understood dynamic within this broader pattern of instability is how these students experience transitions into and out of foster youth classification status. These transitions may shape not only students’ attendance patterns but also their exposure to school disciplinary practices.”
Specifically, researchers found that transitioning into foster care can improve attendance, especially for children who remain in care for an entire school semester, as those moving out of destabilizing or unsafe home environments and into more structured settings with increased “adult supervision, educational advocacy and social supports” see stability in daily school participation. These same supports may also reduce behavioral disruptions that can lead to exclusionary discipline, according to the report.
Meanwhile, despite the positive benefits of family reunification for many youth, exiting foster care, especially after a brief placement during the school year, is associated with declines in attendance. “Youth who exit foster care may return to unstable family environments or experience stress during the reunification process, which can disrupt school routines and engagement,” the report states. “These disruptions may also increase the likelihood of behavioral challenges that result in disciplinary referrals, especially if formal supports are withdrawn once students exit classification status. As a result, transitions out of foster care may represent a period of heightened vulnerability for both absenteeism and exclusionary discipline.”
The brief explores the individual and systemic challenges foster youth face and how these experiences elevate rates of absenteeism and discipline. It offers recommendations on how federal, state and local educational agencies can help improve outcomes for this vulnerable student group.
Federal policymakers should extend stability provisions under Title I Part A for those exiting the foster care system, for example, as doing so could reduce school disruptions that contribute to missed instructional time and disciplinary incidents. “Maintaining continuity in school placement, peer relationships, and support services during this transition may mitigate both chronic absence and heightened disciplinary risk,” the brief states.
In California, state and local policymakers should adopt policies that promote stronger cross-sector collaboration between schools and the child welfare system that may boost the educational success of youth in foster care, particularly those who are transitioning out of foster care status, according to researchers.
Additional recommendations include investing in educational liaisons to monitor attendance patterns and disciplinary referrals; coordinating with families, educators and child welfare professionals; and ensuring that students receive timely academic, social-emotional and behavioral supports.
