Transcript the PowerPoint here
The Uninterrupted Scholars Act: Promising Information-Sharing Practices
Presented by:
The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Collaboration of: – American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law – – Casey Family Programs Annie E. Casey Foundation – – Juvenile Law Center Education Law Center-PA A national technical assistance resource and information clearinghouse on legal and policy matters affecting the education of children and youth in foster care Listserv, training materials, conference calls and webinars, publications, searchable database (includes state laws and policies) Website: www.fostercareandeducation.org
Today’s Webinar
Why we need to share information How information sharing shapes policies and practice How information sharing can be accomplished How the Uninterrupted Scholars Act can support and facilitate information sharing Models of information sharing – L essons learned: Yes, this can be done…
Why We Need Information Sharing
Critical to identifying what is really happening: – Ex. School stability “
Better information = better outcomes”
Establishes co-ownership of the issue – Ex: attendance Leverages the resources of both systems Informs and shapes policies of both agencies – Ex: living placements impact school success One system can’t solve the issues alone Sharing information = common goals, more effective strategies & greater accountability of both systems
What Could Systems Collect/Share
Attendance
School history
School stability
Academic Performance
Need for Accommodations
Transition Planning
Sharing Information Methods Education to Child Welfare Child Welfare to Ed Joint Research Common Data System Accessed by Multiple Agencies (with varying levels of accessibility)
Information Sharing Models
California: Statewide Information Sharing What They Shared
: Education & Child Welfare: Six-step matching process using names, addresses, etc.; Analyzed data of over 43,000 with open episode in foster care during SY 2009-2010.
What They Learned:
Where students in foster care attend school; high rates of school mobility; lower levels of academic achievement & graduation rates than other at-risk groups
What They Are Doing
: Identifying areas of
targeted focus
for improving education outcomes & undertaking in-depth look at how foster-care experiences of students are associated with their education outcomes (living placement, length of stay in care etc.)
Learn more:
www.cftl.org
or http://www.stuartfoundation.org/docs/default-document library/the-invisible-achievement-gap-report.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Information Sharing Models
Allegheny County, PA:
– DHS & Pittsburgh Public & Other School Districts
What They Share
: Real-time daily information sharing: school districts send info to DHS warehouse (personal ID, enrollment info, GPAs, attendance, suspensions, standardized test scores, type & date of IEP
What They Learn
: school stability by grade, lower attendance & GPAs, lower reading & math proficiency, higher suspension rates.
What They Are Doing
: Child welfare education screen, attendance alerts & after school programs,
Learn more
: www.alleghenycounty.us/dhs/research-education.aspx
Contact Information Maura McInerney Education Law Center [email protected]
www.elc-pa.org
215-238-6970 Ext. 316
Improving Education Outcomes for Children in Child Welfare
Sarah Zlotnik, MSW, MSPH November 14, 2013
PolicyLab
at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
“Evidence to Action”
Overview
• Review key education findings from recent brief – Absences – School changes – Challenges to cross-system collaboration • Identify recommendations to strengthen educational success for youth in child welfare
The Children’s Stability and Well-being (CSAW) study
• CSAW
QUANTITATIVE LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS
– Followed 407 children ages 3-8 for 24 months, who entered foster care between 2006-2008 – Almost 3,400 interviews with caregivers, caseworkers, and teachers – Education Sub-Analysis • Subset of 209 school-age children ages 5-8 • Linked data records from Department of Human Services, School District of Philadelphia, and foster care provider agencies • CSAW
QUALITATIVE FOCUS GROUPS
– 90 participants – Teachers, counselors, foster parents, and caseworkers
Led by David Rubin, MD, MSCE Funded by William Penn Foundation, Stoneleigh Foundation, National Institute of Child Health & Development
K EY F INDINGS :
ATTENDANCE
High rate of absenteeism
Definitions of placement stability
Early Stable (45 days) Unstable ( >9 months) Late Stable (45 days to 9 months)
Note: Any child who reunified home was assigned to a separate “Reunified” category.
16
High rate of absenteeism
Days out of school driven by absences
13% 4% Absences Suspensions Gaps 83%
Absence rate is even higher for children before entry into foster care
K EY F INDINGS :
SCHOOL CHANGES
Numerous school changes within 24 months
K EY F INDINGS :
CHALLENGES TO CROSS-SYSTEM COMMUNICATION
Confusion about policies
“I’ve been in some schools that are like, ‘That’s not a
problem. Come on in. Let me get your ID. Here’s the counselor. Let me tell you
about the child.’ And then I have some other ones that just kind of like, ‘We don’t feel like doing it.’ They’re burdened enough.”
Agency Caseworker
"What is the current policy? And then maybe even having some protocols that we would follow in regards to the students that are in foster care.”
School Counselor
“But you know they want us to do everything. But yet you call the school up and they’re like, ‘Well you’re not
authorized to get
this information.’”
Agency Caseworker
Ineffective cross-system communication
“You go to the school to get a transfer or to see how the kids were doing in school…and they’re like ‘Did you know she hasn’t been to school in
like X amount of days? Did you know that
they’re failing?...’ So why are you telling me now? What happened before?”
Agency Caseworker
“My experience is of somewhat frustration in the lack of communication from the agencies involved, including DHS and the social workers and the advocate. Only in emergencies do I get that information, and what’s sorely lacking is a phone call to be proactive…”
School Counselor
Ineffective cross-system communication
“And they kind of envision the counselor, I think, as just behind a desk waiting for them to arrive. I don’t know, but it’s just that’s not the reality.”
School Counselor
“I had an individual in my room and I wasn’t aware that he received…that he was a part of the special ed process because that information never came over.”
Teacher
Opportunities for action
1. Real-time, comprehensive data-sharing among child welfare, education, and behavioral health 1. Tracking and response protocol for absences, suspensions, and behavioral health issues 1. Integrated service delivery
Paving the way in Philadelphia
Thanks to the CSAW team and partners David Rubin, MD, MSCE
CSAW Principal Investigator
CSAW Team
– Denise Actie, MSW – Taylor Hendricks, MSSP – Sophia Hwang, MSEd – Christina Kang-Yi, PhD – Jin Long, PhD – Amanda O’Reilly, MPH – Meredith Matone, MHS – Robin Mekonnen, MSW – Kathleen Noonan, JD – Caroline Watts, EdD – Sarah Zlotnik, MSW, MSHP – Cathy Zorc, MD, MSHP -
CSAW Partners
School District of Philadelphia Philadelphia Department of Human Services Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services PA Council of Children, Youth & Family Services providers CSAW Advisory Board 28
.
Resources on PolicyLab’s related work
Evidence to Action briefs
• Improving education outcomes for children in child welfare
(2013) LINK
• Securing child safety, well-being, and permanency through placement
stability in foster care (2009) LINK Publications
•
The relationship of placement experience to school absenteeism and
changing schools in young, school-aged children in foster care. Zorc, O'Reilly, Matone, Long, Watts, Rubin. Children and Youth Services Review. 2013;35(5):826-833.
•
Cross-system barriers to educational success for children in foster care: The front line perspective.
Noonan, Matone, Zlotnik, Hernandez-Mekonnen, Watts, Rubin, et al. Children and Youth Services Review. 2012;34(2):403-408 .
Sarah Zlotnik, MSW, MSPH PolicyLab The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 3535 Market Street, 15 th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19104 267.426.5300
Twitter: @PolicyLabCHOP
www.policylab.us
Sharing Information Across Education, Child Welfare and Courts
Uninterrupted Scholars Act Webinar November 14, 2013 Elaine E. Fink
What Is KISR! ?
A web of coordinated supports, interventions & protocols within and outside of schools that promote education success and stability for students in foster care.
KISR! Partners
• Hamilton Co. Dept. of Job & Family Services • Cincinnati Public Schools • Hamilton Co. Juvenile Court • Legal Aid Society of SW Ohio
Target Population
• K - 12 students • Attend Cincinnati Public Schools • Custody of Hamilton County • Expanded to include Protective Supervision
• Detailed MOU among partners provided for comprehensive information-sharing necessary to accomplish program goals • Data-Sharing Agreement subsequently created as stand-alone document
Cinti Public Schools & Hamilton Co Child Protection Profiles: • 33,000 students in 56 schools • 250 youth in foster care attend CPS • 1800 children in Care or Under Agency Supervision • 1100 (61%) are school-aged • Race & Income demographics for both systems: 76% children of color and 70% low income
KISR! Key Program Components
• KISR! Liaison in each school • 2 Child Welfare Education Specialists • Education Court Reports & Jud Bench Card • Individual student advocacy through Legal Aid
Data Collection Challenges Required a Sense of Humor
Learning Partner Dashboard
• Existing data infrastructure • Maintained by Cinti Public Schools • 52 Education data points populate daily • 13 Child Welfare data points exported weekly
Learning Partner Dashboard
SAMPLE OF DATA POINTS for Education and Child Welfare
• • • • • • • • • Individual Identifiers Demographic Profiles School Placement(s) School Changes Enrollment Attendance Grade Level Academic Performance Test Scores • • • • • • • • Special Education Information Discipline School Disruption Promotion/Retention Graduation Agency Placement(s) Legal Status Termination Status
Flexibility of LPD Reports
i • Target individual students or aggregate group • Integrate child welfare and education • Generate on quarterly, annual or as needed basis
Individual Students & LPD
• Reports address individual student data: – Mobility – Attendance – Discipline referrals – Academic performance – Special education status – Type of custody – Length of time in program • Flags for students at risk
Aggregate Data & LPD
Reports addressing KISR! student data in aggregate: – custody status – placement changes – attendance – mobility – at-risk academic indicators
Challenges
• Quality of LPD Reports is dependent on accuracy of data going in • Need additional resources to support ongoing capacity to analyze LPD Reports
Example of data revealed by LPD
Despite home placement that changed 3 times, KISR! student maintained in same school throughout turbulent period
Documented Outcomes from LPD
• Youth Served: 668 • Graduation Rates: Every KISR! high school senior graduated from high school -- 12 in 2012 and 15 in 2013 • School Stability: most KISR! students remained in one school throughout year • Enrollment: every KISR! student began school on first day of academic year -- 2012 & 2013 • Discipline: No expulsions of KISR! students
Systemic Changes at Cincinnati Public Schools • Immediate School Enrollment • School Fees: Automatic Waiver • Student & Class Profiles • Go extra mile to keep foster youth in school & promote academic success
CPS No-Barrier Enrollment Protocol for Youth in Foster Care • Ohio Law requires that children in foster care be IMMEDIATELY ENROLLED in school based on submission of a Juvenile Court order placing the child in the custody Job & Family Services. • NO OTHER DOCUMENTATION is required!
Systemic Changes at Child Welfare
• Education stability is factor in placement decisions • New policy avoids removal of children from school for visitation and discretionary case plan services • Protocols to ensure accurate & timely entry of school data into statewide database • Caseworkers are better trained on education law
Systemic Changes at Juvenile Court • Magistrates are trained on education law • Focus on academic success & school stability at court hearings • Judicial Bench Card for Education Success • Youth are engaged in education planning during court hearings
Testimonial
“I changed schools when I changed foster homes in the middle of my sophomore year in 2012. That’s when I became part of KISR! I was scared I was going to fail & I wanted to give up. My KISR! Education Specialist helped me. I passed sophomore year because of KISR! Without that support I would not have made it. Now I’m on track to graduate!”
Angela, KISR! junior, January 2013
Elaine E. Fink Managing Attorney, Children’s Advocacy Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, LLC 215 E. 9 th Street, Suite 500 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 [email protected]
Cross System Information Sharing Pre and Post:
The Uninterrupted Scholars Act
Mi c h elle L u st i g , Ed . D, M SW, P P S C S a n Di e go Co u nt y Off i c e Of Ed u cat ion S t u d ent S u p port S e r vic es Fo ste r Yo u t h An d Home l ess Ed u cati on S e r vices
Relationship Between Data Sharing and Educational Outcomes
Increased:
◦
Awareness
◦
Cooperation
◦
Collaboration
◦
Responsibility
◦
Matriculation
◦
Academic performance
◦
Graduation rates
◦
School stability
Foster Youth Student Information System (FY-SIS
©
)
• Shared Governance-FY-SIS © Advisory Group • Data warehouse • SDCOE is responsible for ensuring secure and filtered access: unique screen sets based on user group • Restricted access to certain data • Security/Firewalls/FTP process
Foster Youth Student Information System (FY-SIS
©
)
• Weekly feeds from Child Welfare and Probation • Daily feeds from Juvenile Court and (nearly all) 42 school districts • User group administrator role • User group permissions defined
Foster Youth Student Information System (FY-SIS
©
)
FY-SIS© Contains:
Demographic Information Assigned Social Worker/Probation Officer Assigned Attorney
Education Rights Holder
School History including current school Grades and Attendance Unofficial Transcript Health Information Medications (Restricted) Well Child History Immunizations Placement History (Restricted) Probation Only: Minute Orders, Conditions of Probation, Waivers and Hearing Dates California English Language Assessment (CELDT)
Foster Youth Student Information System (FY-SIS
©
)
FY-SIS © Does Not Contain:
Reason for Removal (300 code) Family of Origin Information Sibling Information Psychiatric Diagnosis Mental Health History Special Education Information Discipline Information (planning stages) Standardized Test Scores*
Authorized Users
• Judges/ Court Clerks • Social Workers • Probation Officers • Attorneys (DLG, APD, PD) • School Site Administrators • School District Administrators • School Police Officers* • CASA • Group Homes
Considerations and Lessons Learned Cross System Data Sharing
Begin with the end in mind Engagement of all stakeholder groups Agreement of who has legal access to which information Youth (student) concerns and how to address them Determine the best way to meet competing demands, policies, mandates and restrictions
Considerations and Lessons Learned Cross System Data Sharing
Consideration of who maintains the database who owns the data who owns the intellectual property that is the physical database
Thank you!
Michelle Lustig, Ed.D, MSW, PPS [email protected]
P-858-503-2628 F-858-503-2636 http://www.sdcoe.net/ssp/support/?loc=fys&m=9
Panelist Contact Information:
Jessica Feierman, Supervising Attorney, Juvenile Law Center :
Maura McInerney, Senior Staff Attorney, Education Law Center-PA :
Sarah Zlotnik, Senior Strategist, CHOP PolicyLab :
Elaine Fink, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio :
Michelle Lustig, Manager, Foster Youth and Homeless Education Services, San Diego County Office of Education
Legal Center for Foster Care and Education’s website on Data & Information Sharing: http://www.fostercareandeducation.org/AreasofFocus/DataInformationSharing.aspx