Thriving in Transition: Building Learning Environments for Students in the Foster Care System
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
University of Georgia
Second Presenter's Institution
NA
Third Presenter's Institution
NA
Fourth Presenter's Institution
NA
Fifth Presenter's Institution
NA
Location
Percival
Strand #1
Academic Achievement & School Leadership
Strand #2
Social & Emotional Skills
Relevance
This presentation is closely aligned with the head--academic achievement. The presenter will discuss promising practices educators across p-16 system can use to work with students in the foster care system as they navigate transitions and school systems. The presentation is undergirded by Schlossberg's (2012) transition theory, as well as narratives from college students who are/were in the foster care system. This presentation will highlight educational practices students' perceived to be the most helpful.
Brief Program Description
This presentation will explore promising practices for teachings and other providers working with students in the foster care system. The presentation combines educational theory with students' lived experiences. Teachers, school counselors, and social workers will have an opportunity to learn about the unique needs of some of our most vulnerable students.
Summary
Less than 50% of students in the foster care system (SIFCS) graduate from high school (Unrau, Fost, & Rawls, 2011). Furthermore, SIFCS are less likely to enroll in and matriculate through postsecondary education than their peers outside the system. Research points to the countless barriers that exist between students and the systems they must navigate (Noonan et al., 2012). Since this research is grounded in transition theory and emphasizes the positive factors that influence student success, as told by first-person accounts, the presentation has the potential to reach multiple groups of stakeholders, including but not limited to high school teachers and counselors, college admission experts, student affairs professionals, foster parents, and SIFCS across p-16.
Evidence
Students in the foster care system (SIFCS) are an often overlooked and vulnerable population of students with limited access to the supports necessary to be successful in schools (Wolanin, 2005). The combined impact of transitioning into new schools and homes, as well as residual trauma associated with being in the foster care system compounds the barriers to academic success for a group of students already at risk of attrition. (Sheer, 2015) This presentation will consider the reasons students in foster care system struggle in school as well as the resources and factors necessary to promote academic achievement for students in the foster care system.
Scherr, T. G. (2015). Preparing students in foster care for emancipation, employment, and postsecondary education. School Psychology Forum, 9(1), 59-70.
Wolanin, T. R. (2005). Higher education opportunities for foster youth: A primer for policymakers. Washington, DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Biographical Sketch
Before working in higher education, Sarah Jones was a classroom teacher for 10 years in North Carolina public schools. The majority of her teaching experience was in Title I schools. Sarah is currently in a counselor education doctoral program at the University of Georgia, where she is researching the educational experiences of students in the foster care system.
Keyword Descriptors
Foster, FosterCare, AcademicAchievement, Students, Education, Graduation, Postsecondary, Teachers, Counselors
Presentation Year
2017
Start Date
3-7-2017 2:45 PM
End Date
3-7-2017 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Jones, Sarah E., "Thriving in Transition: Building Learning Environments for Students in the Foster Care System" (2017). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 64.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2017/2017/64
Thriving in Transition: Building Learning Environments for Students in the Foster Care System
Percival
This presentation will explore promising practices for teachings and other providers working with students in the foster care system. The presentation combines educational theory with students' lived experiences. Teachers, school counselors, and social workers will have an opportunity to learn about the unique needs of some of our most vulnerable students.
