ERIC Number: ED610367
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 47
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Truly Universal: Overcoming Barriers to School Choice for Youth in Foster Care
Trinidad, Justin; Korman, Hailly T. N.
Bellwether Education Partners
School choice was intended to expand options and equity, and it holds promise for many students with unique needs. But it is clear that no choice system can be equitable until all students have real access to those choices. More than 400,000 youth are currently in foster care in the United States, many of whom experience significant obstacles in their lives, ranging from frequent transitions between homecare placements and schools to unmet physical and mental health needs. Youth in foster care experience a number of common obstacles in accessing school choice: lack of transportation to remain in their school of origin, narrow definitions of sibling preference that leave out children in foster care, and insufficient information available to adults in their lives. As a result, children in foster care are less likely to participate in their city's school choice opportunities, including charter schools, magnet schools, online schools, private schools, and in-boundary schools. Many states, cities, and districts have adopted strategies to more equitably provide access to school choice options for youth in foster care. To shed light on what these policies look like in practice, this report takes a close look at Washington, D.C., Denver, New York City, and Los Angeles, detailing their school choice landscapes and lessons in improving access to school choice for youth in foster care. Based on these city studies, it provides recommendations for states as well as cities and local education agencies.
Descriptors: Barriers, School Choice, Equal Education, Access to Education, Foster Care, At Risk Students, Transportation, Access to Information, Educational Policy, Educational Practices, Charter Schools, Magnet Schools, Private Schools, Virtual Schools, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Federal Legislation, Student Rights, Enrollment, Urban Schools, Partnerships in Education, Child Welfare
Bellwether Education Partners. e-mail: contactus@bellwethereducation.org; Web site: http://bellwethereducation.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Walton Family Foundation
Authoring Institution: Bellwether Education Partners
Identifiers - Location: District of Columbia; Colorado (Denver); New York (New York); California (Los Angeles)
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Every Student Succeeds Act 2015
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A