NCJ Number
215314
Date Published
2005
Length
91 pages
Annotation
This study examined the nature and scope of behavioral problems that children in foster care exhibited in Chicago schools.
Abstract
Consistent with previous research, the study found that a significantly greater proportion of children in out-of-home care had "emotional disturbance" (ED) classification that required placement in special education, compared with children who had no substantiated reports of maltreatment. Findings also showed a dramatic increase over the past decade in the proportion of out-of-home-care students with an ED classification. This trend has been due in part to the low rate of permanent placements for foster children with an ED classification compared to the rate of permanent placements for foster children who did not have an ED classification. The majority of children in care received their ED classification by age 10. Analysis of disciplinary incidents found that almost 20 percent of 6- to 10-year-old students in care committed a violent offense at school. It is critical that both the education and child welfare systems identify problems early in a child's educational career; and interventions must address not only the problematic behaviors but also the core problems that underlie these children's behavioral problems. Administrative data for the study were obtained from Chapin Hall's Integrated Database on Child and Family Services in Illinois. Approximately 78 percent of the children in out-of-home care or in permanent placements who were in school and residing in Chicago were linked to the Chicago public school data. Data from the Chicago Public Schools Bureau of Safety and Security covered reports of disciplinary incidents. Using only data from the 2003-2004 academic year, the study encompassed approximately 74,000 disciplinary incidents that involved approximately 42,000 students from 354 schools. Data analyses compared students in out-of-home care with other students. 5 figures and 24 tables