Children in out-of-home care can fall behind in their schoolwork and become less engaged with their education when they have court appearances and appointments, such as those with a doctor or therapist, scheduled during school hours.

The primary focus of the child welfare system is safety and permanence for children. Attention to the child’s educational needs can fall through the cracks.

Child welfare staff, school staff and out-of-home care providers may not expect children in care to excel in school or have aspirations for a college education. If the adults in their lives expect them to do poorly or below average, the children themselves may respond by fulfilling those expectations.

Children in out-of-home care generally do not have an advocate for their education – an adult who is designated as being responsible for monitoring their educational progress and assuring that their educational needs are met.

Children in out-of-home care may withdraw from relationships in school and become socially isolated to avoid embarrassment about not living with their family.

Many children in out-of-home care were struggling in school before they entered care, often because of the circumstances in their home. The trauma the child experienced in his or her home or community coupled with the trauma of removal from the home negatively impacts the child’s academic performance and behavior in school.

There is a lack of communication and coordination between the child welfare system and the school system regarding children in out-of-home care. In addition, each system lacks an understanding of how the other system works.