1. A Collaborative Approach in Education
August 2010

2. AGENDA Welcome and Introductions
‘Growing up in Foster Care and getting an education’- Reflection from Andrew Bridges
Educational Laws
GAL’s: stakeholders in a child’s education
Educational Outcomes and Facts
Educational Liaison Program
Orange County Public Schools
School District of Osceola County
Orlando Tech
Resource Panel and Q&A

3. Training Objectives
Empower Case Managers to effectively advocate for their children’s education rights.
Develop understanding of Educational Laws to help meet children’s educational goals.
Discover achievements made and the potential triumphs we can continue to accomplish with collaborative partnerships.
Learn about existing tools and resources available to assist Case Managers to meet educational outcomes.

4. Educational Outcomes and Facts

5. Quality Base Reviews
The Quality Department at Family Services does a review of cases among the CMO’s.
Data is extracted utilizing the outcomes based on the federal review tool used for the Child and Family Services Review.
CMO’s performance is tracked on many outcomes which are taken into consideration during contract renewal.

6. Quality Base Reviews: Expectations for Education
Concerted efforts were made to assess the child’s educational needs.
If educational needs were identified, necessary educational services were engaged.
Services effectively reduced or resolved the issues that interfered with the child’s education.

7. Quality Base Reviews: What a FEAT!Q1
(08-09) Q2 Q3 Q4
(09-10)
1. Concerted efforts were made to assess the child's educational needs. (all cases if relevant) cites: (2)( b), F.S.; & 65C (5)(h)1-12, F.A.C.
50%
76%
87%
95%
92% (11 of 12)
100% (16 of 16)
2. If educational needs were identified, necessary educational services were engaged. (all cases if relevant) Cites: (2)(a-b); &39.701(7)(a)9, F.S.; & 65C (5)(h)1-12, F.A.C.
75%
88%
93%
75% (3 of 4)
100%
3. Services effectively reduced or resolved the issues that interfered with the child's education. ( all cases if relevant) Cites: (2)(a-b); & (7)(a)9, F.S.; &65c (5)(h)1-12, F.A.C.
67%
83%
50% (1 of 2)

8. The Reality
In a study with a national sample of 1,138 children younger than three years with substantiated cases of abuse or neglect, 46.5 percent were classified as having developmental delays on the basis of assessments(Rosenberg, Smith, and Levinson, 2007).
Thirty percent of children ages 6 through 11 in the child welfare system showed a need for special education services based on low scores from cognitive and/or behavioral assessment (Webb et al., 2007).

9. Foster youth face many barriers to educational success
Foster youth face many barriers to educational success. One of the largest barriers is the frequent disruptions of their education due to change in schools.
Research shows that youth lose an average of 4 to 6 months of educational attainment each time they change schools.
Over a third of young adults reported having had 5 or more school changes. (Courtney, M.E., Terao, S. & Bost, N. 2004)

10. Common Educational Barriers:
Missing school files.
Not being enrolled timely after a placement move.
Not being withdrawn from the former school resulting in high absentee marks.
Enrolled in classes that don’t meet the requirements needed for graduation.
Lack of person to advocate for the child to receive the educational services that he/she needs to succeed.
Being suspended and sometimes expelled instead of getting services that are needed to maintain their behavior.

11. “If the systems responsible for the well-being of foster children—child welfare, education, and the courts—do not place a strong emphasis on the education of foster children and work together to promote success in school, education will fall through the cracks.”
(Foster Children & Education, Vera Institute of Justice, 2004)
Wolanin, Thomas. Higher Education Opportunities for Foster Youth A Primer for Policymakers. December 2005

12. Why is Education Important for Youth in Care?
Educational success can have a grave impact on a youth’s self confidence and ability to succeed in their life.
School age children in foster care have lower school grades, lower test scores, and more behavior problems at school.
Between 1/3 and 1/2 of current or former foster youth drop out before completing high school.
(Leone, P & Weinberg, L. 2010) .

13. Why is Education Important for Youth in Care?
There is very strong link between educational attainment and adult outcomes:
Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show that adults with a high school diploma earn an average of $27,000 per year compared to $19,000 per year for those without a high school diploma. For adults with a bachelor’s degree, the median income was $47,000 per year (Crissey,2009).
In 2007, individuals without a high school diploma had an unemployment rate of 7.1 percent. In contrast, high school graduates averaged a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, and those completing a bachelor’s degree had a 2.2 percent unemployment rate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009).

14. Roles & Responsibilities
Everybody that is responsible for the well-being of a child is inherently responsible for his/her academic achievement. This includes foster parents, adoptive parents, case managers, group home/residential staff, and the biological family.

15. Six Principles for Education Reform
“Early education is essential.”
"Quality education services are critical for successful
development of all youth.”
"If outcomes matter, they must be measured.”
"Support services are needed to help some youth
succeed.”
"Interagency collaboration and communication is vital.”
"Change requires within-agency and cross-agency
leadership.”
Leone, P. & Weinberg, L. (2010)

16. Key Educational Services & Supports Implemented to Date:
Developed an educational liaison program in both Orange and Osceola County. Three full time Educational Liaisons available to assist and advocate for our children.
Provided training on educational outcomes to different stakeholders (case managers, foster parents, adoptive parents).
Developed an educational manual for Orange and Osceola County that contains vital information for case managers and foster parents.

17. Key Educational Services & Supports Implemented to Date:
Developed streamlined process for immediate enrollment of children into school.
Started sharing data with both school districts on children in out of home care.
Started writing educational summaries for all children entering licensed out of home care. Given to court and Resource Specialists to incorporate into plan developed at ICC. This same process will begin in Orange County in the fall.
…………More to come this year.

18. What can be done? Most Important:
Enroll children into Early Education programs:
Head start, Early Steps, PEEP, Orange County Preschool Diagnostic Center
Research has shown that strong, high quality early education may reduce the prevalence of severe behavioral problems as children get older and may prevent children in foster care from subsequent involvement in the delinquency system.
(Leone, P. & Weinberg, L. 2010)

19. What can be done?
Get the child enrolled into tutoring and after school supports.
Enroll the child into Literacy programs:
Book Adventure (
Success Maker Enterprise
Fun Brian (K-8)
Fun for the Brain
Monitor the child’s academic progress and advocate for services when needed.

20. What can you do?
Case managers can let a child know that their education is important by showing up in their schooling. The following are some examples: 
attend parent/teacher conferences
attend open house events
and other significant events
Key points to conclude: 1) kids need to be in early education program- sooooo important.  2) workers must fill out the new streamlined forms with all the attachments timely 3) workers must withdraw a child immediately when he/she moves.  A child can’t be enrolled into a new school until they are withdrawn from the previous school and 3) new model being used across the state called Response to Intervention(RTI). Workers need to know that this can be done in lieu of a request for an evaluation.  School has 60 school days to complete an evaluation once the consent and request is submitted.  Schools can not delay this due to RTI.  If any worker hears this or is told this they should call the EL immediately. 

21. Use your Resources
Key points to conclude: 1) kids need to be in early education program- sooooo important.  2) workers must fill out the new streamlined forms with all the attachments timely 3) workers must withdraw a child immediately when he/she moves.  A child can’t be enrolled into a new school until they are withdrawn from the previous school and 3) new model being used across the state called Response to Intervention(RTI). Workers need to know that this can be done in lieu of a request for an evaluation.  School has 60 school days to complete an evaluation once the consent and request is submitted.  Schools can not delay this due to RTI.  If any worker hears this or is told this they should call the EL immediately. 
Seek Services through Alternative Schools Collaborate with Foster parents, Schools, Education Liaisons, Independent Living Coordinators and GAL’s Use your Education Manual located on the Family Service’s website in their library. Contact the Educational Liaisons for technical assistance. What Work’s Clearinghouse U.S. Department of Education

22. Citation:
Leone, P. & Weinberg, L. (2010). Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems. Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. Retrieved from: