Children involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems often have many disadvantages throughout their lives, which decreases the likelihood of their wellness and success. Not the least of these challenges is dealing with unmet education needs. We know that:

• The rate of unemployment was highest for those without a high school diploma and lowest for those with advanced graduate degrees.
• The median income for those with a bachelor’s degree was $28,000 more per year than those without a high school diploma.

In Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems, Peter Leone and Lois Weinberg outline the risk factors youth in the system face, as well as some promising collaborative practices that have proven to be successful in addressing these risks.

The alarming number of children who desperately need quality education has motivated many professionals and parents to address this issue. Some jurisdictions have developed a cross systems approach between child welfare, juvenile justice and education agencies.  Leone and Weinberg provide evidence that shows why a streamlined approach – involving collaboration between school districts, mental health agencies, parents, foster care and group home administrators, government and others – leads to more successful outcomes.

 By Katey Collins and Jim Moeser