A first for linking foster youth and academics
New study offers most detailed insights to date
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A first-of-its-kind statewide longitudinal study comparing students in foster care with similar students who were never in the foster system is underway, using a unique linking of data systems that protects students’ privacy while identifying the barriers to academic success for foster youth.
Of the more than 59,500 foster youth in California, about 37,000 are school age. They tend to do worse academically than other students, and are twice as likely to drop out of high school. Researchers hope the study will pinpoint when and where the problems begin that