Download or read book Investigating the Predictors of Postsecondary Education Success and Post college Life Circumstances of Foster Care Alumni written by Amy Michele Salazar and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a group, youth who have spent time in foster care are far behind the general population in postsecondary educational attainment. Nevertheless, most do hold aspirations for higher education. For those who make it to college, foster care alumni face a variety of obstacles related to successful postsecondary completion. However, it is unclear whether the factors that affect postsecondary success in this population are similar to those identified for other college students or more unique to the distinctive experience of being in foster care. Furthermore, while there is general consensus that higher education is beneficial to foster care alumni in overcoming adversity, no study has examined how foster care alumni who graduate from college actually fare in their adult lives compared with the general population of college graduates, or with those in the general population who did not graduate college. The study aims first to identify the predictors of postsecondary retention and success using survey data from a cross-sectional sample of foster care alumni who received Casey Family Scholarship Program or Orphan Foundation of America Foster Care to Success postsecondary scholarships. Second, the study compares adult outcomes of foster care alumni graduates with general population graduates and general population non-graduates to explore the role higher education plays in these youths' lives. Results are interpreted in relation to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, theories of educational persistence and motivation, trauma theory, and theories related to other difficulties of being in foster care. Analyses include bivariate examinations of postsecondary factors and their relation to college disengagement; discrete-time survival analysis of general college retention factors and factors more unique to the foster care population in predicting college graduation; and multivariate comparisons (ANOVA's, ANCOVA's, and chi-squares) of foster youth graduates and non-foster youth graduates and non-graduates in relation to their post-college life circumstances. In bivariate comparisons of general population factors related to retention, five of the nine factors (academic-related skills, institutional commitment, social support, social involvement, and institutional financial support) had at least one indicator with a significant or trend-level relationship with college disengagement. In bivariate comparisons of foster care-specific factors related to retention, four out of the seven factors (maltreatment/ trauma/PTSD, other mental health problems, independent living stability, tangible support) had at least one item with a significant or trend-level relationship with college disengagement. Comparing the two separate factor models, the general population factor group modeled the data slightly better in predicting college graduation than the foster care-specific factor model. No model improvement was found when foster care-specific factors were added into the general population factor model. Both general population and foster care alumni graduates fared more positively than general population non-graduates for three post-college factors: individual income, financial satisfaction, and happiness. Only the general population graduates were found to be faring better than general population non-graduates on a variety of other factors. Foster youth graduates fared less positively than general population graduates on a variety of post-college outcomes. Results have implications for policy and practice regarding the most effective means of supporting postsecondary aspirations of youth with foster care experience.
Download or read book Former Foster Youth in Postsecondary Education written by Jacob P. Gross and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-05-15 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the attainment gap between foster youth and their peers. Specifically focusing on post-secondary access and success for foster youth, Gross points out the challenges foster youth face in the primary and secondary school context, such as being less likely to complete high school. These barriers to former foster youth continue once enrolled in post-secondary education, and can manifest as lack of institutional support, financial barriers, and limited to no familial support. The author discusses what policy makers and practitioners need to know to better support the educational attainment of former foster youth.
Download or read book Education in Out of Home Care written by Patricia McNamara and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-08 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book draws together for the first time some of the most important international policy practice and research relating to education in out-of-home care. It addresses the knowledge gap around how good learning experiences can enrich and add enjoyment to the lives of children and young people as they grow and develop. Through its ecological-development lens it focuses sharply on the experience of learning from early childhood to tertiary education. It offers empirical insights and best practices examples of learning and caregiving contexts with children and young people in formal learning settings, at home and in the community. This book is highly relevant for education and training programs in pedagogy, psychology, social work, youth work, residential care, foster care and kinship care along with early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education courses.
Download or read book Young People Transitioning from Out of Home Care written by Philip Mendes and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-26 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book challenges and revises existing ways of thinking about leaving care policy, practice and research at regional, national and international levels. Bringing together contributors from fifteen countries, it covers a range of topical policy and practice issues within national, international or comparative contexts. These include youth justice, disability, access to higher education, the role of advocacy groups, ethical challenges and cultural factors. In doing so it demonstrates that, whilst young people are universally a vulnerable group, there are vast differences in their experiences of out-of-home care and transitions from care, and their shorter and longer-term outcomes. Equally, there are significant variations between jurisdictions in terms of the legislative, policy and practice supports and opportunities made available to them. This significant edited collection is essential reading for all those who work with young people from care, including social workers, counsellors, and youth and community practitioners, as well as for students and scholars of child welfare.
Download or read book Brown Eyed Leaders of the Sun written by Frank Hernandez and published by IAP. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume focuses on the important relationship between racial and ethnic identity and requirements for Latino/a educational leaders today. As the racial and ethnic diversity of communities continues to rise, there is an increasing need for the diversification of school leaders who can improve student success, retention, engagement, and successful academic achievement. This entails a deeper understanding about the role/definitions of leadership among communities of color, leadership succession, the importance of gender/ethnic differences, as well as methods for recruitment, retention and development of school administrators and other school leaders of color in education. Latina/o school leaders, their personal histories, leadership challenges related to gender and race, contributions, roles, responsibilities, and career aspirations, both personal and organizational, are undocumented in the school leadership research. A study of Latina/o leaders that examines leadership experiences, the relationship between leadership and identity, and career aspiration offers important dimensions for the field of educational leadership. For these reasons, examining Latina/os and school leadership is both timely and relevant to our K-12 schools, educational leadership programs, and changing demographics. The secondary purpose of this publication is to enrich the preparation of school administrators of color, as to the skills and knowledge necessary to serve the needs of students in contemporary times.
Download or read book An Examination of Post secondary Education Access Retnetion and Success of Foster Care Youth written by Angelique Day and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Changes in the U.S. economy have made the attainment of a higher education credential more important than ever to ensure self-sufficiency. Therefore, it is critical that the child welfare, K-12, and higher education systems encourage and support the postsecondary educational aspirations of court wards. When the state makes the decision to remove a child from his/her biological home, it bears the responsibility to provide the educational guidance as well as assistance otherwise provided by families during the transition from high school to college. This dissertation explores the educational outcomes of older youth in care by first looking at the perception of high school aged foster youth in identifying the barriers and pathways they face in graduating from high school and accessing college and then will investigate persistence in post-secondary education for a sample of foster care alumni who are enrolled at a four-year college. The first study investigates the barriers and pathways high school and college-aged foster care youth face in completeing high school and in transitioning from high school to college using action research strategies, which are based on an empowerment theoretical framework. The second study follows a cohort of students who were able to successfully enroll in a four-year university and tracks persistence in their post-secondary education program using two logistic regression models. The final study takes a look at the same cohort of university enrolled students, but tracks time varying indicators including persistence to graduation and academic achievement of the students throughout their post-secondary journey through the use of discrete time hazard models. Paper two aims to address whether having a placement history in the foster care system predicts dropping out, controlling for gender and race. Paper three examines the issue of college persistence by using an event history analysis to model relative risk of graduation from college over time. Study three also includes an additional time varying covariate, academic performance (GPA), and examines whether academic achievement predicts time to graduation. Although each paper is independent, they are connected by the common theme of college access and persistence of young people who have aged out of the foster care system. The benefit to the author of the three-paper method is that the task of submitting the findings of the study for publication is eased as the dissertation contains three stand-alone articles. A drawback for the reader of the three-paper method is that there is redundancy in reading the same sections in each paper. The reader is encouraged to keep in mind that some information may be redundant when read as a whole document.
Download or read book Climbing a Broken Ladder written by Nathanael J. Okpych and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-15 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although foster youth have college aspirations similar to their peers, fewer than one in ten ultimately complete a two-year or four-year college degree. What are the major factors that influence their chances of succeeding? Climbing a Broken Ladder advances our knowledge of what can be done to improve college outcomes for a student group that has largely remained invisible in higher education. Drawing on data from one of the most extensive studies of young people in foster care, Nathanael J. Okpych examines a wide range of factors that contribute to the chances that foster youth enroll in college, persist in college, and ultimately complete a degree. Okpych also investigates how early trauma affects later college outcomes, as well as the impact of a significant child welfare policy that extends the age limit of foster care. The book concludes with data-driven and concrete recommendations for policy and practice to get more foster youth into and through college.
Download or read book Journal of the First year Experience Students in Transition written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Postsecondary Success of Foster Care Alumni written by Mary E. Cordero and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of academically successful Foster Care Alumni (FCAs) in Tennessee who enrolled in postsecondary education, either a trade school, a two-year college, or a four-year university, and graduated from that postsecondary institution. Youth in foster care faced barriers to their education in K-12 schools and at the postsecondary level. FCAs graduated from postsecondary education at a lower rate than their non-fostered peers. I conducted my study to learn what the experiences were of FCAs who had graduated from postsecondary institutions. I conducted phenomenological interviews with three FCA participants who achieved postsecondary education at a trade school, two-year college, or four-year university. I found FCAs survived past trauma such as physical and emotional abuse and food insecurity, shared their stories with other FCAs, felt unprepared for postsecondary education from their high school experiences, and needed a strong relationship with someone, usually a foster parent, who encouraged them in several ways, particularly in their pursuit of postsecondary education. FCAs resiliency despite their numerous challenges allowed them to complete postsecondary education.
Download or read book Life after Foster Care written by Loring Paul Jones and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book apprises readers of the present conditions of former and emancipated foster youth, provides evidence-based best practices regarding their experiences, and proposes new policies for ensuring better outcomes for these children upon discharge from foster care. For most American youth, the transition to adulthood is gradual and aided by support from parents and others. In contrast, foster youth are expected to arrive at self-sufficiency abruptly and without the same level of support. Such an expectation may be due in part to what Loring Paul Jones has found in his research: that many of the studies conducted thus far have been fragmented and incomplete, often focusing on a particular state or agency that may follow policies not applicable nationwide. This book connects the dots between these disparate studies to provide child welfare practitioners, policy makers, and students with a broader picture of the state of American youth following discharge from foster care. It examines not only child welfare policies but also related policies in areas such as housing and education that may contribute to the success or failure of foster youth in society. It additionally draws lessons from successful programs to provide readers with the tools needed to develop foster and after-care systems that more closely mirror the support afforded to youth in the general population.
Download or read book From Foster Care to Baccalaureate and Beyond written by Samuel Jennings Greer and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children in America's foster care system represent one of the nation's most vulnerable populations of students. The life outcomes of these children can be tragic, with disproportionate numbers experiencing prison, homelessness, non-marital parenthood, and other poor life outcomes. Many of these children have suffered trauma before and after they were placed in care, and many have special medical, emotional, and social needs. Of all the difficulties that foster children experience, however, low academic achievement may have the most detrimental consequences for their futures. The purpose of this study is to explore the commonalities of the 2-3% of former foster children who graduate from college despite the odds against them. By delving into the experiences of this population, this study hopes to contribute to the research by improving our understanding of academically successful foster care alumni, particularly by studying the social and educational support systems that abetted the success. Because a majority of foster care alumni remain on some form of public assistance throughout the course of their lives, any reduction of that number would be a step in the right direction. By studying the tiny minority that successfully graduates from college, we can gain insight into how this group managed to overcome the barriers that prevented the other 97% of this group from graduating from college. The findings could have implications ranging from K-12 educational support systems in and out of schools, higher education policy decisions, and foster care program design.
Download or read book A Critical Reflection written by Renada D. Greer and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Foster care youth face significant challenges to postsecondary educational success, especially while enrolled at four-year institutions. Foster care youth are absent of family support that their non-foster peers receive throughout the college experience. Without family support, foster care youth encounter greater challenges to persevere through college and reach graduation. Postsecondary education provides a fundamental opportunity for foster care youth to achieve positive life outcomes. Policy makers, social welfare agents and educators continue to advocate on behalf of foster care youth and have made it possible for them to attend college; however, lack of preparedness and support prevent foster care youth from staying in college. Skills necessary for college success are often gained in early stages of life. For many foster care youth it is in this early stage of life that they have been separated from biological family and placed in the foster care system. This research sought to answer the question: how does the family milieu influence postsecondary educational success for foster care youth? According to research, parents play a significant role in the accrual of educational, social and cultural skills needed for children to have success in later stages of life. Additionally, research supports that schooling becomes increasingly complex as life success becomes increasingly dependent on college success.
Download or read book From Foster Care to College written by Royel M Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2024-10-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do youth placed in foster care aspire to and access college? This book chronicles the lives and experiences of 47 college students navigating the challenging terrain of the United States' foster care system. Through insightful, in-depth interviews, Johnson offers insight into the harsh realities of how our nation's education, welfare, and other social systems often intertwine in ways that diminish the potential and opportunities for these young people. Yet amidst the adversities, these stories resonate with themes of hope, resistance, and possibility. Guided by resilience theory and other asset-based concepts, Johnson sheds light on the protective mechanisms that enable postsecondary access and success, even in the face of towering barriers. Beyond exposition, this book is a clarion call to educators, school and university leaders, and child welfare champions to stand tall and act decisively. The goal? To transform the precarious circumstances of young people in foster care, and dismantle the obstacles that thwart their educational pursuits and dreams. Book Features: Employs critical and asset-based theories and concepts that recognize the agencies, desires, and possibilities of youth in foster care. Brings attention to the intersectionality of identities and social structures that shape students' educational pathways. Identifies system failures across education and child welfare sectors and how they interact with one another. Presents findings from empirical research about risks and protective factors that influence success at critical junctures along the college-going pipeline. Offers recommendations for various stakeholders who seek to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of youth in foster care.
Download or read book Toward Resiliency written by Laura Horn and published by Department of Education Office of Educational. This book was released on 1998 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined whether or not student, parent, and peer engagement factors that contribute to at-risk students' success in graduating from high school continue to be important in making the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The data set used was the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, which included 1994 data obtained two years after students' scheduled high school graduation. At-risk students exhibited two or more of six risk factors, including "family in the lowest socioeconomic quartile" or "held back a grade". Analysis used alternative statistical methodology, specifically regression analysis and the "odds ratios" produced by this procedure. Key findings indicated that: (1) students whose parents frequently discussed school-related matters and/or had high educational expectations were much more likely than other students to enroll in postsecondary education; (2) students who reported that most or all of their high school friends planned to attend college were far more likely to attend themselves; (3) participating in college preparation activities such as gathering information about financial aid increased the odds of enrolling in postsecondary education; and (4) moderate- to high-risk students participating in college outreach programs were more likely to attend college. Appended are a glossary and technical and methodology notes. (Contains 11 references.) (DB)
Download or read book Our Stories un told written by Mauriell H. Amechi and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children and youth who occupy this nation's foster care system are considered one of the most educationally underserved populations in both K-12 and higher education (GAO, 2016). While previous research (e.g., Courtney et al., 2011) emphasizes their deficits in the education pipeline, we are just beginning to understand the experiences of academically successful foster youth. Given the need to improve educational outcomes for underrepresented populations, this critical qualitative study explored how 12 foster care alumni cultivated postsecondary goals, and leveraged multiple forms of capital to navigate the complexities of the enrollment process at selective institutions. Informed by two asset-based theories, Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth framework and Harper's (2012) Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework, I explored two central research questions: How were aspirations for postsecondary education cultivated by high-achieving foster care alumni currently enrolled in college? Also, how do foster care alumni employ cultural wealth to enhance their access to selective four-year institutions? This study found that both internal and external influences were catalysts for participants' postsecondary aspirations. Despite enduring significant disadvantages and unforeseen obstacles in the educational system, self-reports from respondents reflected resiliency and optimism for the future. Academically successful foster youth acquired essential support from institutional agents in schools and social services agencies. Respondents shared several examples of how significant others-including social workers, elementary and secondary school teachers, guidance counselors, and extended family members,-served as sources of inspiration, guidance, emotional support, and stability during pivotal moments in the educational system. Notwithstanding their status as first-generation students, they achieved college admission by employing at least five distinct categories of capital, namely, aspirational, social, resistant, familial and navigational. The final chapter includes implications for policy, research, and theory with an emphasis on enhancing enrollment and persistence.
Download or read book Patchworking Our Futures written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research demonstrates the disproportionate challenges faced by foster youth as they emancipate from foster care. However, postsecondary outcomes of college students who are foster youth remain a concern, and research examining the experiences of foster youth who graduate from college is scant. The extant body of literature on foster youth is primarily problem-focused and suggests that an examination of the experiences of college graduate foster youth is needed to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of policy and practice aimed at increasing their college success. A constructivist, grounded theory methodology took an appreciative inquiry approach to engage the voice of foster youth college graduates in research on their postsecondary educational success to illuminate their experiences. The research generated four emergent themes: (a) education for survival, (b) authentic care, (c) holistic support, and (d) foster youth identity, and from these themes a model of foster youth college success was developed. This research demonstrated that foster youth experienced their degree attainment dichotomously: seeing “college success” as both their only option for a future that defies the odds, while also expressing a sense of awe or disbelief of their achievement. Relationships with adults who demonstrated authentic care for them, together with programs and support services designed to meet their unique needs, were viewed as integral to their achievement of educational goals. Finally, the participants expressed that accepting their foster youth identity was critical to their success, and to finding community and belonging..
Download or read book Unpacking College Readiness An Investigation of the Predictors of Postsecondary Success Among First Time Freshmen Through Structural Equation Modeling written by Terri Marie Iler and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite increases in college enrollment nationally, student postsecondary outcome data are less impressive. Among the root causes identified in the research as contributing to prolonged time-to-degree and low graduation rates lies a core problem: students are un- or under-prepared for college. College completion data also speak towards an undercurrent of inequality, as the higher education sector remains stratified along racial and socioeconomic lines. This study centered on the interrelationships between multiple "college readiness" factors and the complex process by which they collectively influenced college success. While the construct of college readiness tends to be conceived as a conglomerate of abilities and knowledge that are universally needed by all students, I strove to explore the ways predictors of postsecondary success vary by student group (i.e., sex and race) and field of study. In this study, I sought to unpack college readiness through the investigation of the interrelationships between the contexts, dispositions, and habits of incoming first-time freshmen (FTF) and their long-term postsecondary outcomes. As I investigated multiple independent and dependent variables, I employed structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM was particularly well suited to the exploration of this complex phenomenon as it allowed me to specify a number of measurement models - each with multiple indicators - in my analysis of variable relationships, which cannot be performed through traditional regression analysis. To achieve my study aims, I partnered with California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), and utilized a dataset for the Fall 2008 incoming FTF cohort (N = 1793). Data culled from the students' responses on the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey were merged with postsecondary outcome variables to allow for a longitudinal analysis of students' multiple-year trajectories at the University. Overall, among the 2008 FTF cohort at CSULB, contextual affordances of students' pre-college environments (i.e., their communities, schools, and families) exerted influence on their academic and standardized test performance in high school. In addition to the impacts of context, the frequency with which students engaged in productive habits of mind positively influenced their high school performance. In turn, traditional academic preparedness metrics impacted students' formation of their academic self-efficacy as well as their expectations of future performance in college. While academic self-efficacy ratings and performance expectations were relatively high for this incoming cohort, these factors were not significant predictors of students' eventual postsecondary performance and culmination. Instead, measures of academic preparedness appeared to be the most salient. Furthermore, an investigation of these interrelationships across student groups (i.e., sex, race, and major) revealed both commonality and divergence; however, further analysis should be conducted to parcel out the ways college readiness takes shape at the nexus of sex, race, and major. Ultimately, findings from this study can provide K-12 and higher education institutions (particularly large, public four-year universities) a more nuanced understanding of the complex inner workings of college readiness indicators and their varying impacts on students' postsecondary success. These findings can also empower educators in their efforts to more seamlessly prepare and support students as they progress along the K-16 continuum, so students are better positioned to succeed in college.
