Improving educational outcomes for youth in foster care: An evaluation of UGrad Academy

Youth involved in foster care often lack the social support and networks needed to help them overcome educational challenges and are less likely to graduate from high school. Interventions that provide direct and indirect academic support while fostering a supportive relationship with a trusted adult show promise for improving educational attainment. UGrad Academy is a holistic case management program for students in foster care, designed to help youth navigate school, college, and early career. This mixed-methods study examines the effectiveness of UGrad on educational outcomes for high school students in foster care through a quasi-experimental outcome evaluation study and explores the components of the program associated with positive outcomes as identified by program participants and staff through qualitative interviews. The results of the outcome study demonstrate significant program effects. UGrad participants 1) are more likely than their non-participant peers to graduate from high school or advance to the next grade level, 2) had less than half the school absences of their peers, and 3) had significantly higher year-end core subject grades compared to youth involved in foster care not in the program. Qualitative results indicate program consistency with flexibility and the caring, trusting relationships between program participants and staff are key program elements. Overall, this evaluation demonstrates that UGrad has a significant, positive effect on key academic outcomes of high school students in foster care and identifies the support structure and participant-staff relationship as essential to program success.