Children in the foster care and kinship care system often face significant barriers, including frequent school changes, delayed enrollments, and higher absenteeism rates, which can impact their academic progress and social-emotional development. Contributors Cortney Jordan and Jane Dugan-Burdette outline how educators can acquire the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to support students in these placements.
July 14, 2025
PHOTO CREDIT: VALERII HONCHARUK
Why do schools need strong advocates in their corner? Strong advocates orchestrate the vital changes necessary for a thriving educational environment. These advocates delve into the challenges schools face, from funding disparities to the inequities of mental health services. By raising awareness about these issues, they help ensure that vital resources and opportunities transcend the barriers that might otherwise leave students behind. Advocates amplify the voices and push policymakers to act. Advocacy in schools is not just important; it is essential for an equitable future. In the United States, 5 million children are in the foster care and kinship care system, and 70% are of school age. These students often face significant barriers, such as frequent school changes, delayed enrollments, and higher absenteeism rates, which can affect their academic progress and social-emotional development. Stakeholders such as school board members can play a crucial role in supporting training for this population. Leadership and support can help ensure that educators have the tools, knowledge, and resources to support historically disadvantaged students in these situations.
The Challenges of Instability in Education
School board members have a critical role in addressing the growing mental health crisis affecting students nationwide. Recent data shows that 82% of students report symptoms of anxiety, 68% struggle with social anxiety and loneliness, 63% experience symptoms of depression, and 60% have difficulty coping with stress in healthy ways. For students in foster care, kinship care, or adoption, these challenges are often compounded by the instability and disruptions associated with frequent changes in schools and home placements. Multiple placements or moving between homes frequently result in inconsistent educational experiences. Students may experience gaps in their learning, struggle to develop and maintain supportive relationships with peers and teachers, and fall behind academically. This instability can lead to detachment from the school community and a lack of engagement in their education, further exacerbating their challenges. These disruptions highlight the need for schools to prioritize stability for foster care students. Ensuring that their academic needs are met while fostering an emotionally supportive environment for children in their home school and proactive support from educators is essential to helping students in foster care, adoption, and kinship placements thrive.
Adopted children, and those in foster or kinship care, often face additional challenges related to their mental health. Research shows that children in foster care are more likely to experience mental health disorders such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety compared to their peers. Studies reveal that youth in foster care are three times more likely to have attention deficit disorder (ADD) and seven times more likely to experience depression (Turney & Wildeman, 2016). According to the ABA Center on Children and the Law, children in foster care are 2 times more likely to be chronically absent from school vs. non-foster students and 3 to 4 times more likely to be expelled. These struggles can manifest in the classroom and impact a student's ability to succeed academically.
Supporting Identity and Cultural Competence
Adopted children may struggle with issues related to identity, loss, and self-esteem. These issues can become even more complicated in transracial or transcultural placements, where children may grapple with differences in race, culture, and language. Educators trained in adoption competence are equipped to navigate these challenges with sensitivity, promoting inclusivity and respect for the child's birth culture and heritage. Understanding these dynamics is essential for helping students develop a positive sense of self and integrate their complex emotions into their educational journey.
Additionally, children in transracial or transcultural placements may experience feelings of isolation or confusion about their identity. Educators can play a pivotal role in providing support and resources that help students navigate these challenges. By creating a culturally sensitive, inclusive school environment, educators can help foster a positive and supportive space for these students to grow and succeed academically.
Supporting Emotional and Behavioral Needs
Schools are integral in supporting the emotional and behavioral needs of students in foster care, adoption, and kinship placements. These students often experience heightened emotional distress due to past trauma, loss, or instability. It's reported that 90% of students in foster care have experienced at least one traumatic event, such as violence, neglect, or separation from their birth families. School counselors are trained professionals who can provide a safe space for students to process their emotions and develop coping mechanisms.
By offering therapeutic interventions, counselors help students build resilience, improve self-esteem, and foster healthy relationships with their peers and adults. Through check-ins, counselors can support students in developing social-emotional skills, such as emotional regulation, self-awareness, and empathy, which are essential for navigating both academic and personal challenges.
Implementing Crisis Intervention
School board members play a critical role in shaping policies and practices that support the success of all students, including those in kinship care, foster care, or adoption. In the case of students experiencing kinship care, foster care, or adoption, the need tends to be intensified. Academic, career, and social/emotional development are the domains that guide educators.
Educators provide support with a continuum of care, utilizing a tiered system based on evidence-based practices that assist with crisis interventions. Crisis intervention for foster care students is crucial in providing immediate support and stabilizing students during challenging moments. Foster care students may face unique and complex emotional, psychological, and social challenges that require tailored approaches to crisis management. By endorsing and prioritizing training for school staff in this area, school board members can ensure these vulnerable students receive the tailored support they need to thrive. Leadership in this area is a key step in fostering equity and success for every student in the school community.
These three tiers are essential in addressing students' needs: Tier 1 is for all students and focuses on preventing issues and helping students grow emotionally. A student experiencing the tribulations of foster or kinship care may benefit from Tier 2 interventions because they address concerns such as grief, loss, or emotional regulation. Tier 3 interventions offer the most intensive support for students in crisis, with educators working in collaboration with therapists and other professionals to deliver wraparound services with agencies such as the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.). C.A.S.E.'s mission holds the core belief that all children deserve a safe, loving, permanent home and is dedicated to providing inclusive, family-focused services. C.A.S.E. draws on expertise, research, and lived experience to innovate and pay it forward by educating and empowering others. The School-Based Mental Health Professionals Training, tailored specifically for educators, is a cutting-edge, web-based program offered at no cost. It focuses on equipping educators with trauma-informed strategies to support mental health, ultimately fostering improved academic outcomes. With eight comprehensive modules covering essential topics such as attachment, identity formation, and more, this training provides valuable insights and tools for supporting students. Additionally, the training is approved by both the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to offer 17.5 continuing education credits at no cost to participants. This training will empower you to make a lasting impact on students' lives by providing them with the support they need to thrive academically and emotionally.
The Importance of Adoption Competence in Education
School board members play a critical role in ensuring that educators are prepared to meet the unique needs of students in foster care, adoption, or kinship placements. Educators and school counselors often have limited training when it comes to the unique needs of students in foster care, adoption, or kinship placements. Adoption-competence training equips educators to understand better the complex emotional and psychological needs of these students, allowing them to provide more effective academic and social-emotional support. Through training developed by C.A.S.E., school staff can learn trauma-informed practices, implement strategies for attachment issues, and ensure that foster care students feel emotionally supported within the school community. As leaders in education, school board members have a responsibility to prioritize and advocate for this essential training, ensuring that all students have access to the resources and support they need to thrive.
The Road to Academic Success and Emotional Well-Being
School board members have a unique opportunity to help ensure that students in foster care, adoption, or kinship placements are equipped for academic success by addressing their emotional well-being. By promoting stable school placements, trauma-informed teaching practices, and culturally competent educators, schools can help these students stay engaged and reach their full potential.
With the right combination of policies, partnerships, staff training, and resource allocation, schools can make a real difference in the lives of these students. Equipping educators with the knowledge and skills to address the specific needs of foster care and kinship students is key to fostering a more supportive and responsive school environment. Prioritizing professional development in this area should be a nationwide effort across all school districts. Prioritizing professional development can take many forms. It might include offering certificates or credentials that recognize educators' skills after training. Publicly acknowledging those who reach significant training milestones through awards, mentions at school board meetings, or features in the district newsletter that can highlight their commitment. Other incentives could include paid professional development days or providing stipends and bonuses once training is completed.
Join over 1,000 school-based mental health professionals already enrolled in this training. For more information, click this link: Training for School-Based Mental Health Professionals.
Cortney Jordan (jordan@adoptionsupport.org) and Jane Dugan-Burdette (burdette@adoptionsupport.org) are educational and training implementation specialists with the Center for Adoption Support and Education’s School-Based Mental Health Professionals Training Team.