Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Committee Chair
Delores D Liston
Committee Member 1
Ming Fang He
Committee Member 2
Michelle Reidel
Committee Member 3
Sonia Janis
Abstract
Foster children face persistent educational inequities shaped by trauma, frequent placement changes, and systemic barrierswithin schools. This dissertation investigates how foster parents perceive and influence the educational experiences of the children in their care, emphasizing the intersection of advocacy, trauma-informed teaching, and institutional response. Grounded in trauma-informed pedagogy, critical ecology and curriculum studies, the study interrogates how schools both support and constrain foster children’s educational opportunities. An arts-based methodology was employed, combining fictionalized portraiture and digital ethnography. Data sources included foster parent social media posts, reflexive journalling, and researcher positionality as both teacher and foster parent. Composite narratives were constructed to preserve confidentiality while conveying the affective realities of advocacy, frustration and resilience. Findings reveal persistent patterns of delay and gatekeeping in special education identification and service provision, alongside the bureaucratic burdens foster parents must navigate across fragmented systems. Online support networks emerge as vital spaces for solidarity, resource-sharing, and collective problem-solving. By positioning foster parents as central actors in the educational ecology, this study contributes to scholarship on trauma-informed pedagogy and curriculum studies, while offering implications for educators, policymakers, and practitioners committed to building more equitable, responsive educational environments.
OCLC Number
1560060679
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916641544602950
Recommended Citation
Rutherford, C. E. (2025). Bringing a missing minority into focus: Foster parents’ voices and their impact on foster children’s academic experiences (Doctoral dissertation, Georgia Southern University). Georgia Southern University Digital Commons.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Work Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
