Supporting the Education of Youth and Young Adults
what funders can do for those Experiencing Homelessness, Foster Care, and Juvenile Justice Systems
This spring, we had the opportunity to convene several field leaders working at the intersections of education policy, practice, and philanthropy. Together, we discussed the state of the educational landscape, particularly as it impacts the economic well-being of youth and young adults who experience homelessness, and/or the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The conversation was a true “tour de force,” featuring insights from:
Alexia Everett, Strategy Advisor, Office of Planning Evaluation and Policy Development, US Department of Education
Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now and former education reporter for NPR
Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection
Frank Gettridge, President & CEO of the National Public Education Support Fund
Kristin Kelly, Senior Attorney at the American Bar Association's Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Maddy Day, Owner of Maddy Day LLC & Associates
Yali Lincroft, Vice President of Philanthropic Services at the Whittier Trust and Program Director of the Walter S. Johnson Foundation
We urge you to listen to the full conversation (available to YTFG members), and want to highlight the following key observations and recommendations.
School closures had a profound impact on vulnerable students.
COVID-related school shutdowns and related challenges resulted in increased student absenteeism, decreased public school enrollment, decreased access to special education services, a downturn in community college admission, and increasing gaps in test scores. Many impacts were most pronounced among students experiencing foster care, homelessness, and/or the juvenile justice system. This is because schools play an outsized role supporting these students. Students experiencing homelessness were particularly impacted, given that schools may be the only system that supports and provides services to them: older students experiencing homelessness may not be with their parents, may be ineligible for housing assistance from HUD, and may not be in the custody of another youth-serving system.
What Funders Can Do:
Invest in school-housing partnerships that provide educational and stable housing supports specific to students experiencing homelessness.
Invest in grantees who can advocate for and support effective, consistent implementation of the protections outlined in the McKinney-Vento Act, which protects the rights of students experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Partner with schools and community-based organizations who are putting this law into practice effectively.
Recognize education as a protective factor against homelessness; the single greatest risk factor for homelessness is a lack of GED or high school diploma.
Students in foster care are overrepresented in the special education system but often have difficulty in accessing resources, due to ambiguity around “who is the student’s educational decision-maker.”
Schools’ special education systems are often under-resourced and families with advocates often have better access to these limited special education resources. Students in foster care can be left out because of a lack of clarity around who can make decisions on their behalf, as well as a lack of advocacy in accessing those resources.
What Funders Can Do:
Invest in policy and advocacy groups who can push for increased clarity around designating an educational decision-maker for students in foster care.
Invest in organizations and programs that provide navigators or advocates to support students in foster care in accessing special education services.
Invest in grantees who prioritize special education and supporting students with disabilities, ensuring they prioritize students in foster care.
Like the philanthropic sector itself, youth-serving systems – including K-12 education – are very siloed, despite the overlapping student population they serve.
Each youth-serving system–including education, child welfare, and juvenile justice–has its nuances and complexities, which are important to understand.
What Funders Can Do:
Support collaborations across youth-serving systems and invest in efforts that promote intersystem collaboration and communication. Many collaborations are underway, including those housed at the National Public Education Support Fund (NPESF) on topics like out-of-school time, mental health and social emotional learning.
Support and invest in federal governmental programs that introduce academics, policymakers, and practitioners into federal agency positions, including fellows and IPA programs.
Invest in grantees who can support and advocate for dedicated staff positions in government education departments at the the federal, state, and local levels, to be filled by people who a) understand the nuances of housing instability & homelessness, the juvenile justice system, and the foster care system; b) are laser-focused on supporting those students; and c) are committed to inter-system communication & learning.
Shape your grantmaking strategy so that it acknowledges the whole child. Explore the science of child, teen, and young adult development to situate your investments in a way that makes sense given how young people learn and grow.
In many cases, the data systems that make up the different youth-serving systems don’t talk to each other in a timely way.
Many educators don’t know which students are in foster care. Similarly, many foster care system employees don’t receive timely information about student absenteeism, school behavior issues, or academic performance concerns.
What Funders Can Do:
Support and advocate for improved data sharing systems among youth-serving systems to ensure timely sharing of relevant information.
As information sharing improves and insights emerge, support improvements that will positively impact vulnerable groups. For example, if a change in foster care placement location is shared with school districts who know that school stability is important, funders might advocate for and/or support student transportation options for the student to remain at their original school.
Covid relief funds must be leveraged ASAP.
Federal ARPA funds are flowing, many of which focus on youth and are time-limited and not be fully or adequately expended.
What Funders Can Do
Make grants to support nonprofits in navigating the systems associated with these federal dollars. Fund navigators or provide in-kind support if your foundation has technical expertise in this area.
Provide no-cost extensions for your own grants, in order to allow agencies to use your funds later, and spend down time-limited federal funds now.
Explore ways to sustain effective ARPA-funded programs after federal funding expires.
Build and nurture relationships with federal grantmakers (e.g. the U.S. Department of Education) whose work has a lot of similarities to private grantmakers. Keep lines of communication open to support a more streamlined experience for grantees with braided funding streams.
Additional resources to check out:
Books:
The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now by Anya Kamenetz (2022)
Whole Child, Whole LIfe: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive by Stephanie Malia Krauss (2023)
Reports:
Executive Summary of Raise the Bar: Lead the World from the U.S. Department of Education (2023)
U.S. Department of Education Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Summary (2023)
Education and Child Welfare System Efforts to Improve Educational Outcomes for Youth in Foster Care: Identifying Opportunities to Enhance Cross-System Collaboration from the Rand Corporation (2023)