Students in foster care require additional supports from schools in order to maintain educational stability. And, in the time of COVID-19 school shutdowns, experts warn that vulnerable students such as those in foster care may fall behind academically more than their peers.
RFA examines the enrollment of students in foster care in Allegheny County in our latest publication, “Students in Foster Care in Allegheny County: Analysis of New Enrollment Data.” The brief, which is part of RFA’s Allegheny County Education Research (ACER) series, includes an interactive map of the number and percentage of students in foster care in each Allegheny County school and school district. We find that significant disparities across the county, both between and within school districts, and that students in foster care are more likely to be enrolled in schools with the lowest outcomes. Finally we include analysis of the charter school and magnet school sectors finding that, while these sectors serve students in foster care at lower than expected rates, the disparities are smaller than in other Pennsylvania school districts.
