UM Law School Professor Kele S. Williams Authored a Report and Recommendations on Improving Educational Outcomes for Children in Florida's Foster Care System
Professor Kele S. Williams authored a report and recommendations on improving educational outcomes for children in Florida's foster care system. The report cites alarming data showing that children in foster care perform significantly worse than their peers in school. They face tremendous obstacles that limit their academic success, including frequent moves to a new school and the lack of a consistent adult encouraging their educational progress. The focus of the report is a 2004 Florida law mandating that the Department of Children & Families and local school districts enter interagency agreements to avoid school changes, identify needed educational services, share information, address the needs of children with disabilities and participate in joint training. Analyzing documents obtained through public records requests, the report shows that only two-third of counties may have agreements and assesses whether existing agreements meet the law's goals. The data was compiled with the help of two interns in the Children & Youth Law Clinic, Andrew Vitali '08 and Jennifer Boussy '07. The report, which was published jointly with statewide advocacy organization Florida's Children First, is the cornerstone of an advocacy campaign to improve implementation of existing laws and, where necessary, change laws and administrative policies.
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posted 23-August-2007
