Meeting the Educational Needs of Students in the Child Welfare System

Schools can dramatically improve education outcomes—and thus life outcomes—for children in the child welfare system. While students in foster care often struggle educationally, they can excel in school when they receive the right support. 

Juvenile Law Center and Education Law Center of Pennsylvania have developed a set of tools to help educators and administrators understand the issues youth in the foster care system face, and to identify simple interventions that can make a difference helping youth in care succeed in school. These tools are supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.  

Meeting the Educational Needs of Students in the Child Welfare System: A Tool for Educators

This tool can be used by an individual classroom teacher, or throughout the school. The tool is designed to help teachers better understand the unique situation of youth in the child welfare system and to identify simple steps they can take to support a child's success.