The effectiveness of interventions designed to improve academic outcomes in children and adolescents in out-of-home care: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

The review question is: What is the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve academic outcomes in children and adolescents in out-of-home care? Inclusion criteria Types of participants This review will consider studies that include children and adolescents (under 18 years of age) placed (currently or formerly) in out-of-home care (OOHC). As the terminology for OOHC varies within the literature, this review will take an inclusive approach by including any placement setting that falls within the study’s definition of OOHC or according to the jurisdiction in which the study was undertaken. Examples of placement settings include: foster care, kinship care, group home, or residential care. Types of intervention(s) This review will consider studies that evaluate interventions designed to improve academic or school outcomes in children and adolescents in OOHC as defined below. Eligible interventions may include but are not limited to: tutoring programs, individualized educational support, education liaison, reading intervention programs, etc. Types of outcomes This review will consider studies that include at least one of the following outcomes: Primary outcome (academic outcomes): •Achievement or performance across a range of academic areas (reading comprehension, spelling, mathematics calculation and reasoning, writing, spelling, etc.) measured with school grades, grade point average (GPA) or scores on age standardized measurements (e.g., California Achievement Test, Stanford Achievement Test, Wide-Range Achievement Test, etc.); and teacher assessments or ratings. Secondary outcomes (school outcomes): •Attendance rates, grade retention, disciplinary referrals, suspensions, expulsions, dropout rates and graduation rates.