Foster Care: Education Could Help States Improve Educational Stability for Youth in Foster Care. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-19-616

Roughly 270,000 school-aged youth were in foster care at the end of fiscal year 2017. Youth in foster care may change schools frequently, which can negatively affect their academic achievement. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and included provisions to improve educational stability for youth in foster care. These included requiring state educational agencies to ensure youth placed into foster care stay in their current school, unless it is not in their best interest to do so. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review implementation of these provisions. This report examines: (1) the challenges state educational agencies (SEAs) and selected school districts face implementing the ESSA educational stability provisions for youth in foster care; and (2) how the Department of Education (Education) provides technical assistance and monitors state implementation efforts. GAO surveyed SEA foster care points of contact in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and all but one state responded. In addition to interviewing federal officials, GAO interviewed selected state and local educational and child welfare agency officials, and held discussion groups with foster youth and parents, in three states selected by number of youth in foster care, among other factors. GAO also held discussion groups with officials from 14 SEAs and 5 state child welfare agencies, and reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, guidance, and technical assistance. GAO recommends that Education develop an online clearinghouse of resources. Education agreed with GAO's recommendation.