A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
There are few aspects of foster care that draw more attention than education, from school stability for children to supporting older youth on the path to a college degree. And yet our reporting in 2022 lays bare that for all of the efforts to improve the academic experience of foster youth, significant barriers remain.
In New York City, recent research found that just one in four foster youth graduate from high school, a dramatically lower rate than was previously reported. Children who spent most of high school in group facilities were found to graduate only 5% of the time.
Chapin Hall followed students in one state through the transition from high school. Just over one-third enrolled in college, and of those, about 86% of the foster youth did so through the community college system. Only 8% graduated with a degree or certificate.
Texas’ college waiver offer for current and former foster youth is considered one of the best in the country. But as The Imprint reported, nearly half of the eligible students don’t use it.
Listen: College student and former foster youth Matt Schaad and two researchers join The Imprint Weekly Podcast to discuss why community college isn’t working for so many students from the system.
