African American Youths Who Age Out of the Foster Care System: Constructing Factors Contributing to Their Enrollment and Progress in Postsecondary Institutions

African American Youths Who Age Out of the Foster Care System: Constructing Factors Contributing to Their Enrollment and Progress in Postsecondary Institutions
Author: Tiffany Yvette Lane
Publisher:
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2013
Genre: Dissertations, Academic
ISBN:

Although the literature has examined the postsecondary educational status and experiences of youths who age out of foster care, there has been minimal exploration of the status and experiences of those who are African American. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African Americans who aged out of the foster care system, and to describe the factors contributing to their decision to attend school and the strategies they used towards progression in school. The goal of the study was to gain an understanding of African American youths who aged out of care from a cultural viewpoint. Data were collected through in-depth interviews of 10 participants. The findings showed that participants wanted to attend a postsecondary institution to achieve academic success with the certainty that it would lead to broader successes in life. The desire to be successful was motivated by their past misfortunes before and during their time in foster care; experiencing these misfortunes influenced their desire to improve their circumstances through further education. The participants were also inspired by social and community supports that assisted them in matriculating in school. The strategies they employed were inspired by the lack of constant supports and the availability of resources upon aging out of care. The implications of these findings are important to social work practice on the micro and macro levels. On the micro level, they support an informative strengths-based practice with an empowerment emphasis, which involves culturally sensitive practices that are vital for providing services to African Americans aging out of foster care. Forming supportive networks among these African American youths is also essential for their success. On the macro level, consideration of culturally sensitive programs and practices defined in child welfare polices related to youths aging out of foster care is imperative for effective practice and successful outcomes. Social workers need to advocate with consideration of the unique societal challenges facing African Americans aging out of foster care. -- Abstract.

Former Foster Youth in Postsecondary Education

Former Foster Youth in Postsecondary Education
Author: Jacob P. Gross
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2019-05-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 331999459X

This book examines the attainment gap between foster youth and their peers. Specifically focusing on post-secondary access and success for foster youth, Gross points out the challenges foster youth face in the primary and secondary school context, such as being less likely to complete high school. These barriers to former foster youth continue once enrolled in post-secondary education, and can manifest as lack of institutional support, financial barriers, and limited to no familial support. The author discusses what policy makers and practitioners need to know to better support the educational attainment of former foster youth.

Completing College

Completing College
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 55
Release: 2011
Genre: College attendance
ISBN: 9781878477538

"The report examines retention and degree attainment of 210,056 first-time, full-time students at 356 four-year non-profit institutions, using a combination of CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program) Freshman Survey data and student graduation data from the National Student Clearinghouse"--Publisher's web site.

Climbing a Broken Ladder

Climbing a Broken Ladder
Author: Nathanael J. Okpych
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2021-01-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1978809182

Although foster youth have college aspirations similar to their peers, fewer than one in ten ultimately complete a two-year or four-year college degree. What are the major factors that influence their chances of succeeding? Climbing a Broken Ladder advances our knowledge of what can be done to improve college outcomes for a student group that has largely remained invisible in higher education. Drawing on data from one of the most extensive studies of young people in foster care, Nathanael J. Okpych examines a wide range of factors that contribute to the chances that foster youth enroll in college, persist in college, and ultimately complete a degree. Okpych also investigates how early trauma affects later college outcomes, as well as the impact of a significant child welfare policy that extends the age limit of foster care. The book concludes with data-driven and concrete recommendations for policy and practice to get more foster youth into and through college.

Communities in Action

Communities in Action
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2017-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309452961

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Contributing Factors to the Over Representation of African American Children in the Foster Care System

Contributing Factors to the Over Representation of African American Children in the Foster Care System
Author: LaMonica Shalice Montgomery
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2009
Genre: African American children
ISBN:

The focus of the study was the disproportionate number of African American children in the foster care system. The hypothesis stated that drug and alcohol use, and differential sentencing of incarcerated parents have lead to African American children being removed from their families more often than others. These factors also reduced the likelihood of these children returning to their families, thus keeping them in the foster care system longer than any other group of children.

Strengthening Policies for Foster Youth Postsecondary Attainment. Special Report

Strengthening Policies for Foster Youth Postsecondary Attainment. Special Report
Author: Molly Sarubbi
Publisher:
Total Pages: 13
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

Postsecondary education in the United States has historically been the bedrock of individual social mobility and collective economic growth. Toward that end, policies at the state and federal levels have for decades sought to expand the reach of postsecondary education so as to provide individuals and communities with pathways to prosperity. Although progress has been far slower than is optimal, a greater percentage of individuals residing in the United States have completed or participated in postsecondary education than at any other time in the nation's history. As of 2015, 69 percent of high school graduates had participated in or completed some postsecondary education. Despite the relative success of public policies supporting the expansion of postsecondary participation, inequities remain. These inequities unnecessarily limit the ability of individuals to benefit from postsecondary enrollment and completion and can create additional obstacles for individuals already facing significant barriers to social mobility. Such is the case for youth within the foster care system, a population confronted by a labyrinth of state and federal public policies that can often fall short of their intent to support postsecondary enrollment and completion. This policy report provides an overview of the challenges youth who are in foster care, have been adopted, or have aged out of the foster care system confront when pursuing a postsecondary credential, including those barriers caused--often unintentionally--by public policies. Specifically, the report focuses on the treatment of these youth by state financial aid programs and offers potential remedies that state policy leaders may pursue as part of holistic efforts to support reducing inequities for this population and promoting their collective upward social mobility. Given the autonomy states have in adopting policies and responding to federal initiatives intended to support foster youth, state policymakers can create tangible educational pathways for foster care youth.