The national call to action and the Texas response

1. The national call to action andthe Texas response

2. The Honorable Rob Hofmann, Associate Judge, Child Protection Court of the Hill Country, and Chair, Texas Blueprint Implementation Task Force • Kathleen McNaught, Assistant Staff Director of Child Welfare, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and Project Director, Legal Center for Foster Care and Education Presenters

3. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act “Child Welfare, Education and the Courts: A Collaboration to Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster Care” (November 2011) The Uninterrupted Scholars Act The national call to action

4. 2007: Supreme Court establishes Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families • 2008: Fostering Connections passed by Congress • 2009: 3rdNational Judicial Leadership Summit team adopts state action plan for improving education outcomes for foster children • 2010: Supreme Court creates Education Committee • 2012: The Texas Blueprint released • 2013: The Implementation Task Force begins its work The texas response

5. “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’” Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) Justice delayed is justice denied

6. Judicial leadership at the highest levels of the State of Texas • The Education Committee’s charge: • Identify and assess challenges, needs, and current best practices • Develop a collaborative model • Recommend • Publish The Power of a Supreme Court Order

7. Inability to Remain in the Same School • Lack of Seamless Transitions Between Schools • Not Ready to Learn When Entering School • Lack of Equal Access and Lack of Additional Supports • More School Dropout, Truancy, and Disciplinary Actions • Not Involved and Not Empowered • Lack of Clear Education Advocates and Decision-makers • Barriers to Post-secondary Education Challenges for youth in foster care

8. Education Committee members The Honorable Patricia Macias, Chair Judge, 388th District Court, El Paso, TX The Honorable Cheryl Shannon, Vice-Chair Judge, 305th District Court, Dallas, TX Howard Baldwin Former Commissioner, DFPS, Austin, TX Joy Baskin Director, Legal Services Division, TASB, Austin, TX Claudia Canales Attorney, Law Office of Claudia Canales P.C., Pearland, TX James B. Crow Executive Director, TASB, Austin, TX Lori Duke Clinical Professor, Children’s Rights Clinic, UT School of Law, Austin, TX Anne Heiligenstein Senior Policy Advisor, Casey Family Programs and Immediate Past Commissioner, DFPS, Washington, D.C. The Honorable Rob Hofmann Associate Judge, Child Protection Court of the Hill Country, Mason, TX April McWilliams** Former Foster Youth, CPS Youth Specialist, DFPS, El Paso, TX Carolyne Rodriguez Senior Director of Texas Strategic Consulting, Casey Family Programs, Austin, TX Robert Scott Commissioner, TEA, Austin, TX Vicki Spriggs* Chief Executive Officer, Texas CASA, Austin, TX Dr. Johnny L. Veselka Executive Director, TASA, Austin, TX *Joe Gagen (until 2012) Former Chief Executive Officer, Texas CASA, Austin, TX **Estella Sanchez (until 2010) Former Foster Youth, San Antonio, TX

9. Members of four Sub-committees • Judges • Child Welfare • State Education Agency • CASA • Foster Parents/Child Placing Agency • ECI • Head Start • Association of School Boards • Disability Rights • Appleseed • Foster Youth Justice Project • Juvenile Probation Commission • Higher Education Coordinating Board • Workforce Board • Kids’ Attorneys • Parent Attorneys • Former Foster Youth • Casey • Children’s Shelter • Homeless Education Office • Education Attorney • Drop Out Prevention • Charter School • Association of School Administrators • Educators • School Counselors • 4-year universities • Youth services

10. Judicial Leadership • Patricia Macias, El Paso • Cheryl Shannon, Dallas • Rob Hofmann, Child Protection Court of the Hill Country • Bonnie Hellums, Houston • Ron Pope, Richmond • Phil Vanderpool, Pampa • Karin Bonicoro, Child Protection Court of Central Texas • Angela Ellis, Houston • Richard Garcia, San Antonio • Virginia Schnarr, Sabine Valley Child Protection Court • Alyce Bondurant, North Texas Child Protection Court • Kim Brown, Fort Worth • Kevin Hart, South Plains Child Protection Court

11. 1. Children and youth in care are entitled to remain in the same school when feasible 2. Children and youth in care experience seamless transitions between schools 3. Young children in care receive services and interventions to be ready to learn 4. Children and youth in care have the opportunity and support to fully participate in all developmentally-appropriate activities and all aspects of the education experience 5. Children and youth in care have supports to prevent school dropout, truancy, and disciplinary actions and to re-engage in the education process 6. Children and youth in care are involved and empowered and prepared to self-advocate in all aspects of their education 7. Children and youth in care have consistent adult supportto advocate for and make education decisions 8. Children and youth in care have support to enter into and complete post-secondary education Challenges become guiding principles

12. http://texaschildrenscommission.gov/PDF/TheTexasBlueprint.pdfhttp://texaschildrenscommission.gov/PDF/TheTexasBlueprint.pdf

13. Judicial Practices • Data and Information Sharing • Multi-Disciplinary Training • School Readiness • School Stability and Transitions • School Experience, Advocacy, and Supports • Post-Secondary Education 30 recommendations in 7 areas:

14. Geomapping – foster homes within school districts • Expedited home studies for teachers • Listserv for school district foster care liaisons • GAL or CASA as the surrogate parent • Judicial consideration of education during CPS hearings • Begin post-secondary education discussions in middle school • Entrance exam and application fee waivers • Multi-disciplinary training Small sampling of suggested strategies

15. Texas TRIO • DFPS Education Portfolio to include pre-K records • Texas-specific Foster Youth and Education Website • Multi-Disciplinary Training • DFPS and school policy and practice changes • Exploring data-sharing • Identifying school districts with many foster students • Legislative changes A good start

16. Created by Supreme Court order in December 2012 • Duration of 2 years • Develop an implementation plan, which shall include phases for implementing the prioritized recommendations and strategies • Includes: • Hon. Rob Hofmann, Child Protection Court of the Hill Country, Mason, Chair • Hon. Alyce Bondurant, Child Protection Court of North Texas, Wichita Falls • Sarah Abrahams, Casey Family Programs • Joy Baskin, Texas Association of School Boards • Cathy Cockerham, Texas CASA • Lori Duke, Clinical Professor, Children’s Rights Clinic, UT School of Law, Austin • Jenny Hinson, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Austin • Julie Wayman, Texas Education Agency • Others as identified by the Chair, including a representative of the Texas Association of School Administrators, an attorney who represents parents in  child abuse and neglect proceedings, a youth formerly in foster care, and a representative of a child placement organization Implementation Task Force

17. Judiciary Child Protection Services Educators and School Administrators Parents Children and youth Community CASA Who needs to be at the table to overcome these barriers?

18. What should you take from Texas Blueprint and the collaboration begun by the Education Committee? • We want your help. Where the rubber meets the road….