Children who are caught up in the child welfare system are often seriously harmed. The impact of being removed from their parents and their homes and being placed into foster care is particularly disruptive for children with educational disabilities or other special needs. This report provides an overview of the educational needs of children in foster care. It is based on the experiences of parents and agency staff who attended workshops presented by the Center Without Walls and who were served by the Center Without Walls, and focus groups and individual interviews with key informants.

Part I of this report focuses on the survey findings. Part II focuses on the major barriers to educational success confronting children who are involved with the foster care system. It focuses on (a) barriers to timely school placements; (b) impact on appropriate school placements; and (c) impact on school success.