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Numerous studies have confirmed that foster children perform significantly worse in school than do children in the general population. The educational deficits of foster children are reflected in higher rates of grade retention; lower scores on standardized tests; and higher absenteeism, tardiness, truancy and dropout rates. The poor academic performance of these children affects their lives after foster care and contributes to higher than average rates of homelessness, criminality, drug abuse, and unemployment among foster care "graduates."
What are the causes of such undesirable educational outcomes? First, most of the 500,000 children in foster care bear the scars of physical and emotional trauma, such as prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; parental abuse, neglect and abandonment; exposure to violence in their homes and communities; separation from their birth families; and frequent changes in foster placement. These experiences place children at great risk of developing physical, emotional and behavioral disorders that interfere with learning. (Educating Children in Foster Care, Steve Christian, National Conference of State Legislatures)
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