A Mother’s Wisdom

The Goldwater Institute ^ | February 13, 2008 | Dan Lips

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A Mother’s Wisdom: Congresswoman introduces nationwide foster care scholarship bill

Dan Lips, Goldwater Institute Daily Email, February 13, 2008

As a foster mother to 23 children, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) appreciates the many challenges faced by foster children—and those who care for them. One big hurdle is education.

“We quickly learned that our foster children had very different needs than most children,” Bachman has said. Most of the children in her care had special needs, were in therapy, and had other behavioral or learning issues.

Judging by all outcome measures, foster children struggle in school compared to their peers. Foster children on average have lower scores on standardized tests and higher absenteeism, tardiness, truancy, and dropout rates. One big problem is instability. In Washington, D.C., for example, 40 percent of foster children have four or more placements while in care.

In 1999, Congress passed the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act to help support the transition of foster children into independent adulthood. The program increased federal funds for state programs that help youths transition out of care.

Unfortunately, for many foster children, this assistance comes too late. For this reason, Mrs. Bachmann has introduced the "School Choice for Foster Kids Act," which would amend the Chafee program to allow states to offer school vouchers to all foster children.

Scholarships could give a foster family the option of keeping a child in the same school even when the child experiences out-of-home transfers. Scholarship could also give a foster child an opportunity to transfer to a school that better meets his or her needs.

Offering foster children voluntary scholarships is a simple way to ensure that some of our most at-risk children have a better chance to succeed in life. You don't have to have mothered 23 foster kids to appreciate that.

Dan Lips is an education analyst at the Heritage Foundation and a Goldwater Institute Senior Fellow. A longer version of this article appeared in the Washington Times.