Giving Compass' Take:

• The 74 reports on the increase in the number of kids there are in foster care, saying that it has been steadily rising since 2016. However, the ESSA is implementing new policies that help foster care students specifically. 

• One of the newer policies of ESSA is the inclusion of educational data about foster care students. How will this be helpful? How can philanthropists and social service organizations use this data to help improve the lives of these children?

• Read about where you can donate to make an impact on foster care youth. 

The number of children in foster care has been rising over the past several years, with 437,000 reported in 2016. While the school-age children in foster care make up just 0.5 percent of America’s student population, their high rates of mobility mean obtaining an education is often the most difficult for this group of students.

But new direction from the Every Student Succeeds Act gives states greater impetus to take care of the needs of this student population, including providing consistent school transportation for them and, for the first time, tracking test scores and graduation rates.

“This winter, for the first time, states will also be expected to include data on the educational outcomes of foster care students on their state report cards, as they already do for student subgroups like English learners and migrants.

Read the full article about increase in students in foster care by Kate Stringer at The 74