Navigating Complexity: Shaping the Path to Higher Education for Black Foster Youth

• In Event: The Experiences of Foster Youth of Color: Interrogating Carceral Systems Toward (Re)Imagining Educational Opportunity

Abstract

Problem Statement

Black foster youth face significant disparities in their educational outcomes compared to both their fellow foster youth and non-foster peers throughout their K-12 education. They encounter higher rates of suspension, expulsion, special education placement, chronic absenteeism, and lower graduation rates (Clemens et al., 2016; Jones et al., 2018; Vaca, 2008). These negative experiences, combined with their involvement in the foster system has a profound impact on their transition to higher education. This study delves into the intricate experiences of Black foster youth students, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of how K-12 schools and their interactions with the foster system influence their journey to be college-going.

Theoretical Framework: The Universal Carceral Apparatus

Scholar Carla Shedd describes the universal carceral apparatus, as a “curious alliance”, between schools and the criminal legal system (p. 162). This research builds on Shedd's (2015) framework, highlighting systems and structures as elements of a broader carceral apparatus with evolved ideologies from slavery. Examining the foster system's incorporation, it seeks deeper insights into the impact on Black foster youth pursuing higher education (Shedd, 2015; Harvey et al., in press). This study also illuminates the ways youth actively subvert carceral conditions on their path to higher education.

Methodology

In this qualitative case study, art-based methods, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews were employed to delve into the K-12 educational experiences of 22 Black foster youth collegiates (Annamma, 2016; Ravitch & Carl, 2016; Yin, 2009). The study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these experiences influenced their path towards attending college, as they reflected on their K-12 journey. The following research questions were used to lead the inquiry in this study, 1) How do Black foster youth collegians describe their K-12 educational journeys, 2) In what ways, if any do schools and the foster system work together to shape Black foster youth students’ paths to higher education?

Preliminary Findings

The preliminary findings from this study illuminate the complex and nuanced relationship Black foster youth maintain with systems of education as both a space of carcerality and confinement, as well as a space of liberation and opportunity. These factors not only impacted their immediate educational paths but also played a pivotal role in shaping their pursuit of higher education. The two primary themes that derived are as follows:

1)“It was jail. It was literally jail:” Carceral Conditions within Schools
2)Subverting the Carceral Apparatus: Educational Avenues to Liberation and
Freedom

Implications

The educational experiences of Black foster youth students during their K-12 years are nuanced, complex, and have a profound influence on their pathways and opportunities for higher education. The study's findings emphasize the crucial role of school policies, practices, and personnel, as they directly impact the educational journeys and achievements of Black foster youth both within K-12 and on their path to pursuing higher education.

Author

• Brianna Marche' Harvey, California State University - Fullerton