Fresno CountyFoster Youth and EducationMay 30, 2008

Historical Education Initiatives

• K-Six Early Intervention Program • Parenting Partnership

• Data Sharing MOU/Court Order

Sharing Information with FUSD

Prior to AB490: School Board policy changes

MOU developed with FUSD to share info.

IT systems designed.

Foster Care Statistics

PLACEMENTTYPE

NUMBER # OFADDRESSES

# OFSCHOOLS

%ATTENDANCE

%UNEXCUSED

ALL FOSTERYOUTH

799 1.77 1.47 93.3 4.5

RELATIVEPLACEMENTS

130 1.67 1.35 92.6 4.7

GUARDIANHOME

158 1.23 1.09 95.3 2.2

FOSTERFAMILYHOME

333 1.71 1.30 95.3 2.7

GROUPHOME

178 1.77 1.48 88.1 9.8

PLACEMENTTYPE

CSTLANGUAGE ARTS

CSTMATH

GPA SUSPENDED

ALL FOSTERYOUTH

267 210 1.646 438

RELATIVEPLACEMENTS

287 260 1.465 76

GUARDIAN HOME 301 287 1.770 65

FOSTER FAMILYHOME

298 274 1.924 122

GROUP HOME 265 207 1.37 175

Foster Care Statistics cont.

Foster Youth EducationContinuum of Services

0-5Age 5-11 12-15 15-18 18-24

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Pre-School Elementary School

Middle School High School Post - High School

The Foster Bridge Program

Intensive program designed to offer aging-out foster youth support and guidance they need in order to make a smooth transition into college and/or vocational training.

Who is eligible? Aging out foster youth Must be between the ages of 18-21 Must have high school diploma or GED Must have reading and math scores at or above

7th grade level Upon completion of the Foster Bridge Program youth

will be guided to continue towards a two-or four-year degree at college or enter into short-term vocational or certificate training that leads to a career

Guardian Scholars – Core Elements

Process for identification and assessment of students for program acceptance

Full financial aid package Single on-campus point of contact/support person Availability of year round housing Academic guidance and counseling Academic supports – Tutoring, etc. Supplemental supports – transportation, child care, etc. Social Activities Student Leadership External supports – scholarships, employment Sustainable funding

Foster Youth EducationContinuum of Services

0-5Age 5-11 12-15 15-18 18-24

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Pre-School Elementary School

Middle School High School Post - High School

Department of Children and Family Services:

•County-administered public agency

•Child Welfare and Children’s Mental Health Services

•Over 700 employees

•Family to Family Initiative

•Over 2,232 children in out of home care

Fresno Unified School District:

•76,000 Students

•4th Largest School District in California

•82% Poverty Rate

•1,200 students in Foster Care/Group Homes

•2,300 Homeless Students

•107 Schools

Youth Law Center

Collaborative Project

Youth Law Project Goals

•Identify educational barriers faced by Fresno County youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems

•Propose strategies to remove those barriers

•Use data to focus on problem areas

•Begin with a population of foster children in grades 7 - 9 and follow over time to analyze the impacts of interventions.

Youth Law Center Collaborative Project

Pilot study with the Youth Law Center working with targeted 7th and 8th grade students living with relatives and performing at GPA 2.0 or below to address individual education barriers.

Youth Law Project Highlights 1st Year (21 Students)

GPA improved 71%

Changed schools 34%

2nd Year (30 Students)

GPA improved 67%

Changed schools 10%

3rd Year (40 Students)– Data pending (June 2008 report cards)

Children's Interagency DataSharing Project

Data Sharing Project• Establish a juvenile information sharing collaborative. • Utilized OJJDP Data Sharing Framework.

• Looked at other data sharing processes in other counties.

• Attended Juvenile Info. Sharing Symposium- Washington D.C.

• Developed MOU template with School Districts.

• Board of Supervisor special meeting.

• Presentation to District Superintendants and receive MOU approval.

Foster Youth and EducationBreakthrough Series Collaborative

Breakthrough SeriesCollaborative Goals

DCFS caseworkers to identify educational rights holder

Evaluate and review any current information on educational rights

Educational Rights Source Bring awareness, foster collaboration, and open lines

of communication with dependency judges Provide opportunities for foster youth to engage in

extracurricular activities as well as tutoring opportunities

2006-2007 School Year

SCHOOL GPA SCHOOL GPA

Academy ofNew Americans

3.667 Lawless 1.417

Ahwahnee 1.860 Scandanavian 1.900

Baird -- Sequoia 1.583

Bullard Talent 2.839 Tehipite 2.535

Carver 2.673 Tenaya 2.311

Cooper 2.026 Terronez 1.564

Fort Miller 1.857 Tioga 2.311

Hamilton 1.956 Wawona 1.773

Kings Canyon 2.101 Yosemite --

SCHOOL GPA

Bullard 1.70

De Wolf 2.641

Edison 1.62

Fresno 1.591

Hoover 1.705

McLane 1.636

Roosevelt 1.375

Sunnyside 1.916

7th & 8th Grade-Quarter 1

9th –12th Grade-Quarter 1

7 High Schools in FUSD

8 th Graders Transitioning to 9 th grade

Approximately 58 Foster Youth BSCBSC

BSC ActivitiesImprove communication with School Districts regarding notices of termination and placement change. Conformity to new California Rules of Court.

Develop education rights pamphlets for Birth Parents, Foster Youth and Foster Parents.

Work with incoming 9th graders at Sunnyside High.

Develop communication between all social workers working in the schools both County and FUSD.

Ethnicity of Student Participants

54%33%

13%

Hispanic Black White

Gender of Student Participants

33%

67%

Male Female

Primary Language of Student Participants

67%

33%

English Spanish

Age of Student Participants

7%

59%

27%

7%

13 14 15 16

9/07

Age of Student Participants at Time of FUSD Enrollment

27%

52%

7%7% 7%

4 5 6 9 10

Age of Student Participants at Time of Entry Into Out of Home Care

7% 7%7%

20%

13%7%13%

13%

13%

1 2 3 5 6 8 9 11 13

Service Program of Student Participants

86%

7% 7%

Permanent Placement Family Reunification Adjudicated 601/602

9/07

Student Participants Who Have An Educational Advocate Assigned

27%

66%

7%

Yes No Unknown

Student Participants Who Have Educational Assessments

13%

87%

Yes No9/07

Student Participants Who Have Experienced School Disruptions Due To

Placement or Re-Placement

47%

53%

Yes No

2005-2007

0.000

0.500

1.000

1.500

2.000

2.500

3.000

3.500

4.000

Grad

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int A

vera

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GPA History of Student Participants

7th grade 2nd quarter 7th grade 4th quarter 8th grade 2nd quarter 8th grade 4th quarter

8th Grade English Language Arts CA Standards Test Scores

of Student Participants

57%29%

14%

Far Below Basic Below Basic Basic Proficient

8th Grade Mathematics CA Standards Test Scores of

Student Participants

43%

36%

7% 14%

Far Below Basic Below Basic Basic Proficient

2005 - 2007

Seventh Grade Fourth Quarter Grade Point Averages of Student Participants

14%

50%

36%

0%

0.00 to 0.99 1.00 to 1.99 2.00 to 2.99 3.00 to 4.00

Eighth Grade Fourth Quarter Grade Point Averages of Student Participants

7%

50%

36%

7%

0.00 to 0.99 1.00 to 1.99 2.00 to 2.99 3.00 to 4.00

0%

Other EducationInitiatives Training of School Personnel in Child Welfare Issues FUSD Bi-monthly meeting Education Liaison Education Law Training – Delinquency/Dependency Court System

attorneys Partnership with Probation on education of foster youth “Endless Dreams” Training for ILP Social Workers Data sharing meeting held with County Board of Supervisors, DCFS,

Probation, District Superintendents, and District Foster Care Liaisons Baseline data for foster youth in middle and high schools is being

collected and analyzed. Individual meetings with local group home providers to discuss

educational issues and expectations. Direct contact with the schools about individual foster youth issues

regarding student moves, truancy, testing and other obstacles that are preventing the youth from maximizing educational opportunities.

Other EducationInitiatives cont.

Restructuring of Independent Living Skills (ILP) unit social work assignments so social workers are assigned high schools with high percentages of foster youth enrolled. These social workers will work on campus weekly to meet and work with the youth enrolled to immediately identify and address educational issues.

Modifying Pride Foster Parent Training for new foster parents to include the importance of educational advocacy and how to navigate the school system

Developing in-service training to emphasize the social worker role and responsibility in the education of their children.

Inviting educational providers to the Family to Family Collaboratives and include the collaboratives in working within their schools to advocate for the foster youth in their community as a joint partnership between the community, the educators and the department.

Working with K-6 social workers on early identification of foster children in elementary schools having educational issues to promote early identification of learning disabilities, testing and support services.

Designing tracking system to follow foster children through the educational system and assist in assessing success of applied interventions.