Legislation authored by Sen. Roderick D. Wright (D-Compton) that would boost the academic performance of foster children in California by limiting the number of school transfers they must endure each year has gone to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.

Senate Bill 1353, sponsored by the Compton Unified School District, won bipartisan support in the Legislature to add academic stability as one of the key elements considered as being in the “best interest” of foster children attending public schools.

“Studies have shown that foster children who are constantly moved from school to school during the academic year have very poor academic achievement levels and among the lowest high school graduation rates of any student population,” said Wright. “My legislation urges school officials to work with foster parents and county social workers to help students remain in the schools they are attending to stabilize their performance and social maturity.”

SB 1353 does this by clarifying that educational stability is a crucial part of ensuring and protecting the best interests of foster children. It also clarifies that when school transfers are necessary in accordance with the law, social workers, and local education agencies should collaborate to schedule the placement change to coincide with summer matriculation.

“Educational stability is a top priority that should be addressed along with the other considerations involved in determining when and where a child’s foster care placement changes,” said Compton Unified School District Trustee Margie Garrett.

Karen Frison, Superintendent of Compton Unified, said her district uses a unique foster student intake and monitoring system that has been successful in stabilizing the academic experiences of those children and improving their academic success rate.

Wright noted that children in foster care experience significant disruptions to their educational progress. The National Institute for Higher Education Policy estimtes that foster youth lose an average of four to six months of educational attainment each time they change schools. As a result, the averaged child in foster care loses, rather than gains educational growth each year.

Foster children experience higher rates of tardiness, absence and truancy, ultimately causing them to fail courses or repeat grades more frequently than their peers. They are more likely to receive disciplinary actions such as probation, suspension or expulsion and have lower grade point averages and standardized test scores. Nationwide, only 50% of children in foster care graduate high school. In California, less than 3% continue to college, according to the National Center for Youth Law.

SB1353 passed both houses of the Legislature without a single “no” vote cast against it and won the backing of a wide range of foster care stakeholders including social workers, teachers, administrators, and probation officials.