Foster Care Kids Need an Education Too - Research Paper Example

 Foster Care Kids Need an Education Too Introduction Foster care refers to an impermanent living arrangement for the neglected and abused children who are in dying need for a safe place to live in simply because their parents or relatives cannot take good care of them(Anon, 2014). A child may end up in a foster care home because of numerous reasons. However, failure by families to take care of their children is the main reason that makes majority of the foster care kids find themselves in this situation. This irresponsibility is brought about by various challenges like illnesses, drug addiction, and homelessness or because of excessive consumption of alcohol. It is estimated that about 542,000 children live temporarily in Foster care as their parents or relatives struggle with drug addiction, alcohol, financial hardship, and illnesses among other difficulties (Anon, 2014). American society has partially failed to some extent especially in providing foster kids with the most fundamental necessities like quality education. Moreover, some of the children in those care units become aged out or ‘emancipated’ thus put into the outside world without any financial, emotional support or a shelter. In 2012 alone, more than 23,439 kids in foster kids were aged out thus ended up being released to the hostile outside world without financial, shelter and emotional support (Soronen, 2014). However, most foster care homes try their level best so as to provide the kids with the most basic necessities including emotional and social support as well as foster their development with regard to providing them with basic education. Such attention is very crucial for them since most of these kids have dealt with mistreatment like neglect and abuse in the past, a factor that affects their development and mental health in a great way (Soronen, 2014). Social and emotional upheavals are among the major factors that affect the quality of education that foster care children get. A significant number of them suffer emotionally and psychologically, a factor that dramatically affects their concentration in school. Studies have shown that kids in foster care experience extraordinary challenges with a significant percentage of them suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder even more than the veterans who come back from war. Related studies have also shown that about half of the children in these homes brawl with mental fitness challenges resulting from the trauma they have endured (Newton, Litrownik & Landsverk, 2000). This means that schoolteachers and the society in general have a responsibility of introducing measures that would enable the children lead full lives and recover from such traumas. Teachers must handle these children with the care they deserve. Other major challenges that affect the quality of education foster children get include the issue of changes in school transactions and home placements as well as lack of basic skills among other upheavals. A significant number of these kids keep on moving from one foster home to another meaning that they are forced to regularly change schools (Lieberman, 2003). A significant number of them lack adequate access to some very important socialization opportunities like team sports and music lessons among other crucial elements that make children live a full life. Moreover, there are always inadequate facilities to meet their requirements since funding is at times limited. These makes them survive without adequate essential needs such as shoes, haircuts, clothing, school supplies, as well as funding for school fees (Lieberman, 2003). Other common challenges that hinder their learning include persistent low expectations, instability, and lack of specialized instructions (Lips, 2007). Majority of them lack proper guidance that most children get from their parents or guardians. All these challenges among others make them face an upheaval battle in the process of acquiring basic and quality education. Lack of quality education is a very serious problem that the American society, state governments and federal government, as well as all the relevant stakeholders should introduce swift measures so as to curb before it becomes a disaster to the country. Research has shown that adults who were initially in foster care have greater chances of succumbing to poor life outcomes compared to the general population because of lack of quality education and basic life skills that people acquire in the early stages. Lack of personal and professional skills and knowledge acquired in school makes them unemployable or lack means of improving their lives. This ends up making them lead a homeless life, become incarcerated, or end up being entirely dependent on state services. Education is a breakthrough for many of the citizens and especially those from poor and unstable backgrounds and is a major aspect that makes a difference in a person’s life. The quality of education that kids in foster care attain especially at the primary and secondary level is a major determinant of whether the child will succeed in life or not (Newton, Litrownik & Landsverk, 2000). Various studies have been conducted in the past in attempt to ascertain the quality of education that foster care children access whereby most of them have released worrying findings. Majority of the researches were comparing the performance of foster kids with that of their peers living in the general population by giving them a standard test. The most shocking findings were that majority of the foster care kids were scoring far much below the standard performance attained by the majority in the general population (Meese, 2010). It has also been noted that foster kids record very high rates of absenteeism and lateness to school. Moreover, rate of truancy and dropout among them is very high compared to children in the general population (Lips, 2007). State, policy makers, and the society in general have a role to play in making foster children acquire quality education. Implementation of reforms is one of the chief measures that can be adopted to curb this problem. Legislatures should introduce necessary reforms so as to give foster children an option of joining private or public schools of their guardians’’ choice (Newton, Litrownik & Landsverk, 2000). This could play a major role in ensuring that more foster kids access a high quality education that is also more stable since it would reduce the current problem of regular transfers. Doing so would ensure that these children acquire high value personal and professional skills and knowledge that prepares them for an effective transition to adulthood. Another major recommendation that may improve the current situation is the increase of support of given to these needy children. The government, interagency, societies and other well-wishers should feel committed towards supporting foster care children by offering them tuition scholarships, organizing for fund raises as well as donating anything that might make a difference in their lives (Zlotnick, Kronstadt & Klee, 1998). Such campaigns would ensure that the most basic needs of these kids are met thus giving them a conducive environment to learn. Offering of tuition scholarships would also reduce the problem of persistent low expectations and instability as well as encourage learning institutions to tailor appropriate educational services that would meet the unique needs of these kids. Such policies have being introduces in various states with Arizona Maryland, Florida, Tennes s ee, and Texas being good examples of a successful implementation of scholarship programs. In conclusion, it is clear that foster kids undergo numerous challenges that range from the initial stages back under the care of their families. Most of them end up being in foster care homes because of abuse and neglect that may result to irresponsibility of their families of other challenges like drug addiction and illnesses. The kids greatly suffer both physically and emotionally, a factor that that contributes to their poor performance in school and at times in life. The most common problems that they go through include instability, lack of adequate basic needs and facilities, low expectations, as well as lack of specialized instructions. All these factors make their stay in school and learning a major challenge, an element that makes them have a high dropout rate, score low grades or not attend some classes. References Top of Form Anonymous (n.d.). Foster Care Facts | Treehouse Treehouse. Retrieved from http://www.treehouseforkids.org/about/foster-care-facts/ Lieberman, A. F. (2003). The treatment of attachment disorder in infancy and early childhood: Reflections from clinical intervention with later-adopted foster care children. Attachment & Human Development, 5(3), 279-282. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14616730310001596133?journalCode=rahd20 Lips, Dan. (2007)."Foster care children need better educational opportunities." Heritage Foundation, Retrieved from http://heartland.org/sites/all/modules/custom/heartland_migration/files/pdfs/21441.pdf Meese, R. L. (2010). Family matters: Adoption and foster care in children's literature. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited. Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/36738614?versionId=47704500 Newton, R. R., Litrownik, A. J., & Landsverk, J. A. (2000). Children and youth in foster care: Disentangling the relationship between problem behaviors and number of placements. Child abuse & neglect, 24(10), 1363-1374. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213400001897 Soronen Rita. Opinion: We abandon thousands of foster case children a year - CNN.com. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/opinion/soronen-foster-children/ Zlotnick, Cheryl, Kronstadt Diana, and Klee Linnea. Foster care children and family homelessness. American Journal of Public Health 88.9 (1998): 1368-1370. Retrieved from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.88.9.1368 Bottom of Form Read More