An Historical Narrative of the Educational Trajectory of the Child Raised in State Care

Abstract

The purpose of this review article is to examine the educational trajectory of foster care alumni regarding the social capital held by their foster parents. This literature review applies special attention to the age group of k-12 because despite educational reform interventions a college readiness gap remains for the foster child. The college journey starts as early as grade school, a time in which remedial limitations may be diagnosed and addressed. Research indicates that 17% of foster children require remedial instruction at the grade school level but fail to be diagnosed as a result of poor agency coordination. As a society we have, by default, consented to the removal of children from their biological homes. The foster home, therefore, is tasked with providing a nurturing setting that is an improvement over the biological home setting from which the child is removed. The foster parent, then, must engage in behavior change that can be observed in the school setting, take corrective action when poor agency coordination occurs, expedite the individual education plan, encourage the foster child and monetize materials of value for the child for the duration that the child remains in placement. We observe that there is a gap in the literature with regard to intelligence from foster care alumni. Further, educational advocacy, by the foster parent, on behalf of the foster child is a prerequisite if foster youth are to meet benchmarks that indicate long-term survival. Foster youth, by default, lack long-term adult support, a barrier to persistence in education. This review examines the literature on what foster alumni reported they experience regarding social capital held by their foster caregivers as it relates to college access.