In California, the Youth Education Advocates Cohort is comprised of youth with foster care experience who meet monthly to work on foster care and education policy issues with the Education Program staff at the Alliance for Children's Rights. The youth education advocates also consult on such matters. 

In 2024, the Michigan Departments of Education and Health and Human Services engaged with the Michigan Youth Opportunity Initiative (MYOI) in partnership with advocacy agency and college staff who engage directly with students in foster care. Youth were invited by staff to participate in a series of four sessions to share their experiences as students in foster care. Participants included youth currently in high school and recent graduates, including college students. Foster care alumni helped to facilitate the sessions and create a safe environment for authentic youth engagement. Youth shared freely and were financially compensated for their time. Adult supporters were allowed to attend, but they could only participate as listeners to truly center youth voice. Positive outcomes included the issuance of the Michigan Educator Resource Guide for Understanding and Implementing LEA Stability for High School Youth Experiencing Foster Care, which included quotes and lessons learned from the youth, and a state board of education presentation report.

This 2024 report, by Chantal Hinds, shares findings from a qualitative research study conducted with youth and parents experiencing the foster care system in New York. Recommendations include providing students in foster care with information about their rights and creating personalized education plans for students utilizing a collaborative team approach that involves students and is student-centered to help meet their “academic, vocational, behavioral, mental health, and social-emotional needs and goals.” (Pages 18-19)

This authentic youth engagement research study was based on an evaluation of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative® program, which is “a system-level intervention designed to improve the educational, employment, permanency, housing, parenting readiness, health, and financial capability outcomes of youth aging out of foster care.” (Id.) The initiative defines authentic youth engagement (AYE) as “young people fully understand[ing] their rights and responsibilities... actively lead[ing] the process of making decisions on issues that affect them in order to support their successful transition to adulthood and a healthy, productive adult life.” (Id.) The study sought to address two questions: (1) How do youth and staff/professionals define/conceptualize AYE? (2) What are youths’ and staff/professionals’ recommended strategies and approaches for authentically engaging youth? The results are based on responses from four of the high-performing sites in different states: Georgia, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Tennessee. Four themes emerged regarding AYE: youth-adult partnership and connection, youth empowerment/voice/agency, adult engagement skills, and making change/having impact. Three recommendations emerged regarding building trust, relationships, connections with youth; being youth-centered and youth-empowering; and facilitating improved adults/staff/program efforts. To learn more, see the full article and figures & data.

The My Life Model (MLM) is an intervention program for students in foster care with positive results based on a 2012 randomized study and a 2020 report, which explains that MLM is adapted from the “TAKE CHARGE self-determination model” previously utilized for students with disabilities. For students in foster care, the target ages are 15-19, and the program is intended for youth who are able to go into the community with their program coach, including youth with disabilities and/or mental health conditions. It is designed to be a 9- or 12-month positive youth development intervention, which consists of youth-directed weekly coaching, provided at school, community, or home locations and at times convenient to the youth to help achieve stated academic and transition goals. Youth also participate in supportive workshops to connect with, and learn from, peers with foster care experience.

Utah utilizes Check & Connect (C&C) (Univ. of MN cited by Utah in the linked Roles and Responsibilities), a student engagement intervention, with youth in foster care to help students engage and thrive at school. C&C is anchored by a mentoring relationship between a student and an adult mentor who is supports the student via commitment –  long-term; connection – student and mentor meet weekly; check – mentor monitors student engagement and academic progress for encouragement and accountability; and family engagement – mentor partners with family to enhance educational opportunities and outcomes for students in foster care. 

In Colorado, the Fostering Opportunities program piloted in Jefferson County is an evidence-based intervention in which specialists hired by the school district check in weekly with students in foster care, ensure that caregivers and caseworkers have timely information about students’ educational progress, and consult with teachers on supporting students’ success in trauma-informed ways. Students participating in the program demonstrated statistically significant improvements- including improved attendance.  

Fair Futures launched in December 2019 across 26 foster care agencies in New York City, helps young people in foster care reach their academic and life goals. It provides 1:1 coaching and individualized academic, career development, social/emotional, and life skill supports. A program for middle school students helps students in grades 6-8 transition to high school through targeted educational advocacy, assistance to students who have individualized education programs (IEPs), connections to afterschool programs, 1:1 tutoring, and 1:1 assistance for eighth graders transitioning to high school. A coaching program for high school students and young adults provides long-term academic and life support to students to help them succeed in school and transition to adulthood. A recent evaluation found that program participants were more likely to complete high school.

Kids In School Rule (KISR!) is a multi-system collaboration between Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS), Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati. KISR! provides a holistic web of supports to ensure the educational stability and success of students under JFS custody attending CPS using data-driven interventions. The partnership provides a host of supports to students in foster care including child welfare agency-based education specialists who liaison with caseworkers and school building based foster care liaisons. The education specialists use real-time data to track students’: attendance, discipline, grades, standardized test results, and graduation progress. The most recent data analyzed shows strong graduation rates, high rates of school stability, and increases in school attendance. 

This program connects CPS-involved families in Washington to early learning programs and integrates early learning referrals into child safety workflows and systems. The program has two dedicated service navigator positions who proactively reach out to eligible families, identify early learning needs, and match them to early learning programs. The program has led to more CPS-involved families being connected to early learning opportunities.

For information on how state policies can support postsecondary education for students with foster care experience, see JBAY & FAAN's Building Bridges report. 

For advocates looking to support youth in foster care plan for and pursue postsecondary education and training, see these tips from Journey to Success and Youth Law Center.

FosterClub’s “Permanency Pact” tool is designed to create a formalized process to connect youth in foster care with a supportive adult who has been identified by the youth and willing to commit to a lifelong relationship with the youth. The pact offers 45 different types of supports that adults may consider committing to, including educational assistance such as serving as a tutor, educational advocate, or as a support to help with college applications, finding financial aid, and visiting college campuses. 

Fostering Success Coaching is designed for professionals who are working with students and youth who have experienced foster care or adverse childhood experiences. The Fostering Success Coach Model was developed within the Seita Scholars Program, a campus support program for students from foster care at Western Michigan University. The model was developed in 2008 and evolved over time with input from students who shared their experiences of attending college after foster care involvement. In 2013, the “FS Coach Training,” which teaches professionals the Fostering Success Coaching Model, was piloted with over 50 professionals in Michigan; since then, over 1,000 professionals across the country have been trained as Fostering Success Coaches.

Friends of the Children is based on the premise that having a long-term relationship with a consistent and caring adult is the most important factor in overcoming childhood adversity. “Friends” are full-time, paid professional mentors who work with 8-10 youth for 3-4 hours each week from kindergarten through graduation. The program partners with community organizations, schools, and foster care agencies to identify children aged four to six who are eligible to participate. It also incorporates trauma-informed approaches to working with children and caregivers.  

Attendance Works has various resources on increasing high school attendance. - including template Success Plans and promising mentorship models.

In Kentucky, the Truancy Diversion Program uses a multidisciplinary team to assist students at risk of being charged with truancy because of too many unexcused absences. The team consists of judges, court staff, and school personnel who help students improve attendance and successfully engage in their educational experience.

In Washoe County, Nevada, Achievements Unlocked matches students in foster care with tutors and educational advocates, resulting in more students on track to graduate. This multidisciplinary team model changes the educational trajectory of students in foster care by providing advocacy, tutoring, mentoring, and case management to high school-aged foster youth. In addition to being paired with a tutor who comes directly to the foster home, each youth is also paired with an Educational Advocate (EA) to ensure educational services and interventions match the youth’s needs. The EAs guide and motivate foster youth and work closely with school educators and other professionals involved with the youth. This approach helps avoid repeating coursework and strengthens the odds for successful high school completion, whether it be a standard or high school equivalent diploma. The program supports youth to graduate high school and be prepared for post-secondary opportunities, whether that is working, college or a vocational program.

The Treehouse - Graduation Success Program in Washington State supports foster youth high school students through high school graduation. In this program, Education Specialists and Treehouse-trained mentors each support a caseload of about 20 high school students. They meet weekly with youth to coach them in education planning, building self-advocacy and problem-solving skills, and to support each youth in setting and making progress towards personally meaningful goals. The Education Specialist also ensures that students have access to needed resources, guide youth as they explore career options and map out their plans through high school graduation and beyond.  

Kids In School Rule (KISR!) is a multi-system collaboration between Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS), Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, and the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati. KISR! provides a holistic web of supports to ensure the educational stability and success of students under JFS custody attending CPS using data-driven interventions. The partnership provides a host of supports to students in foster care including child welfare agency-based education specialists who liaison with caseworkers and school building based foster care liaisons. The education specialists use real-time data to track students’: attendance, discipline, grades, standardized test results, and graduation progress. The most recent data analyzed shows a decrease in disciplinary referrals.