Are We Ignoring Youths with Disabilities in Foster Care? an Examination of Their School Performance (Statistical Data)

The number of youths in foster care has nearly doubled in almost 20 years, from 276,000 in 1985 to approximately 523,000 currently (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System, 2005). An additional 15,000 youths are in foster care through the juvenile justice system (U.S. General Accounting Office [GAO], 2000). Statistics further indicate that 30 percent to 40 percent of foster care youths receive special education services (Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, 1999; Goerge, Voorhis, Grant, Casey, & Robinson, 1992; McIntyre & Keesler, 1986; Richardson, West, Day, & Stuart, 1989). Despite the substantial number of foster care youths with disabilities (that is, those receiving special education services), little is known about their educational performance. The scant information that is available suggests that the needs of foster care youths with disabilities are too often ignored or ineffectively addressed within the educational system. For example, a survey conducted in Oregon found that although 39 percent of youths in foster care had an individualized education plan (IEP), only 16 percent actually received services (White, Carrington, & Freeman, as cited in Ayasse, 1995).The special education system emphasizes, and is compelled to a large extent, by parental advocacy and participation. Although the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (P.L. 101-476) requires that an educational surrogate must be appointed in a timely fashion when a biological parent is unavailable, evidence indicates that for foster youths in special education, a consistent, involved advocate typically does not exist. For example, although foster parents often serve as educational surrogates, a study by the Advocates for Children of New York (2000) found that 90 percent of foster parents reported that they had no involvement in the special education process. The educational experiences of foster youths in special education are also affected by their high mobility. A change in foster placement frequently means a change in schools and when paperwork does not follow the student promptly (as is often the case), staff members of the new school have little or no information about the special education needs of the transferring foster student (Advocates for Children of New York; Ayasse). This lag often results in students being placed in inappropriate settings or programs and their IEPs not being implemented.