Research shows that children who change schools frequently:
Make less academic progress than their peers, losing about 4 - 6 months of educational progress every time they change schools
Fall farther behind with each school change, leading to low test scores, negative academic outcomes, and high drop-out rates
May have a tougher time developing supportive relationships with teachers and peers
Children in foster care may change schools frequently — when they first enter foster care , when they move from one foster care living arrangement to another, or when they return home.
The educational outcomes of foster youth trail behind national averages in standardized test scores, a disparity researchers attribute to frequent school changes.
PROMISING NEWS to encourage stability efforts:
When youth in foster care stay in the same middle and high school setting, their likelihood of graduating high school doubles when compared to youth whose educational placements change.
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The law is effective on December 10, 2016.
ESSA is the first major overhaul of federal education law in over a decade.
It contains (for the first time) key protections for students in foster care to promote school stability and success and required collaboration with child welfare partners.