The Educational Experiences of Foster Youth: The Current State of Knowledge and Directions for Future Research

There is ample evidence that foster youth fare exceptionally poorly in school. This article describes the current state of knowledge on the educational experiences of foster youth, examining research that focuses on five outcomes: academic achievement, special education, grade retention, behavior problems and disciplinary incidents, and educational attainment. This article discusses what is known about the pathways that lead to each outcome. It concludes by suggesting both substantive and methodological directions for future research into the educational experiences of foster youth.