(2017, January) |  Useful to Parent Centers, states, and counties involved with students in foster care.

This toolkit for ESSA implementation is a product of the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education. The toolkit is a series of adaptable tools and resources for states and counties in supporting the school stability and success of students in foster care.  (The contents of the toolkit are described further below.)

Download the toolkit from:
https://www.fostercareandeducation.org/AreasofFocus/EducationStability.aspx

Background
In December 2015 the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) became the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). For the first time, the law included several provisions for students in foster care. Most of these
provisions went into effect December 10, 2016.

What the Toolkit Includes

  • A basic Question and Answer fact sheet about the foster care provisions of ESSA
  • A short summary of the detailed joint guidance issued from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services related to the foster care provisions of the law
  • Two checklists to support child welfare and education agencies in understanding their roles and responsibilities around implementation
  • A Model MOU that can be adapted by state child welfare and education agencies to implement the law
  • Sample Guidance from a State Department of Education to Local Education Agencies about the law
  • A basic Question and Answer factsheet about Points of Contact in child welfare and education agencies to support students in foster care
  • A checklist of considerations, including sample forms, for making best interest determinations to support stability
  • A guide about creating transportation plans between Local Education Agencies and child welfare agencies, with corresponding sample templates
  • An appendix with relevant federal child welfare and education laws and guidance

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* HIGHLY RATED RESOURCE *  This resource was reviewed by 3-member panels of Parent Center staff working independently from one another to rate the quality, accuracy, impartiality, relevance, and usefulness of CPIR resources. This resource was found to be of “High Quality, Accuracy, Impartiality, Relevance, and Usefulness” to Parent Centers.