Background | Overview | Researcher | Final Report | Funding
Background
Foster and homeless youth have lower educational attainment and college access due to social, economic, and logistical issues. A large number of foster and homeless youth are also disproportionately Black and members of the LGBTQ community. This project is created to study how the confluence of homeless and foster youth identities and their experiences in and out of the classroom creates unique barriers to educational success, especially when it comes to accessing postsecondary education.
Project Overview and Goals
This project consisted of a literature review that studies the intersection between foster or homeless youth, their racial and sexual identities, and how the confluence of these experiences directly impact their access to postsecondary educational opportunities. Lead researcher James Ward reviewed current state policies that seek to improve postsecondary opportunities for foster and homeless youth, and identify gaps that will require recommendations necessary to accurately and appropriately address the comprehensive set of needs that the diverse population of homeless and foster youth have. The final brief provides recommendations for the policies in addition to facilitating avenues for future research.
Researcher
PhD, University of Southern California, Urban Education Policy, 2018
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Pullias Center for Higher Education, 2018-19
Senior Researcher at Ithaka S+R
Final Report
The final report for this project was published as an Issue Brief on the Ithaka S+R website.
Funding
This project was selected as one of five recipients of the Pullias Center Equity Alumni Award in October 2020 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Pullias Center. Each of the five projects features an alumna or alumnus of the Pullias Center exploring a different facet of systemic racism that directly impacts Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) access to education, specifically postsecondary education.