Rami Benbenishty, Anat Zeira, Eran Melkman, Tehila Refaeli Bar Ilan University & Hebrew University of Jerusalem Funded by Jacobs Foundation

 Care leavers are of the most socially excluded groups in society (Stein, 2006)  Education- central for social mobility and a key for the breaking of the ‘poverty cycle’  A small proportion of care leavers complete a high school diploma of a high standard The result: A very small proportion of care leavers enroll in higher education, and thus their earnings and integration into society are impeded

 What educational resources are available for youth in the settings?  How much support is provided by teachers or staff?  What is the role of peers?  What are their future educational expectations and needs?

 Sample: 1,685 adolescents (42% girls) from 34 youth villages. Attempt to survey all relevant youth (40% response rate)  Youth villages:  Large facilities with school on premise  The most common form of placement in Israel  Children of families from the geographic or social periphery of Israel  Procedure: Structured self-report questionnaires

 Immigration  Low level of education of parents (many do not even know their parents’ education)  Limited exposure to adults with higher education  Only about 40% of their staff have higher education  High rates of diagnosed learning disabilities and history of special education

 The large majority plan to:  Complete a full matriculation diploma (90.8%)  Enlist in military or civil service (86.4%)  Enroll in higher education (61%) or vocational training (26.2%)  Future education was important for many  They often think about it, plan it, and actively look for related information

Having a great need for assistance

On the one hand:  Feelings of belonging to school and of highly supportive teachers, staff, and peers  High educational aspirations On the other:  More youth villages’ youth take the matriculation exams but less succeed (Benbenishty & Shimoni, 2012)  The disadvantage persists?

“ English sits exactly on my learning disabilities. English exactly sits on the gap I opened because of coming…leaving home and not having support in this. They don’t teach you English in closed institutions or stuff like that. Hebrew I learned by myself. English, I couldn’t learn by myself”

“ Again the thing was I didn’t have, I didn’t have the energy to focus on studies. I didn’t have the possibility, I was worried about so many things that…that were going on. That I forgot that I am actually here (in higher education) to study, that my main goal I thought was to earn money, eventually”

During care:  Broadening educational support and exposure to higher education After leaving care:  Continuing youth villages’ educational support to HED (completion of diploma, entrance exams, counseling)  Financial support for further education (entrance exams, tuition, living)  Appropriate HED institutions’ policy

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