Operation: Education

For their 2018-2019 annual project, Youth Fostering Change and Juveniles for Justice both focused on education issues affecting youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Operation: Education is a joint publication from both programs. The publication is for judges, attorneys, advocates, policymakers, and other stakeholders to improve education and achieve positive educational outcomes for youth who have any kind of system involvement.

This action kit includes recommendations from both Youth Fostering Change and Juveniles for Justice, concrete steps for how to implement each recommendation, and bench cards for judges to use in court.

Operation: Education is based on the youth advocates' educational experiences while they were in foster care and/or the juvenile justice system. Their stories highlight the numerous complex barriers that not only disrupt education but also delay high school graduation. Many youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system face the same educational challenges. The foster care system should help us meet our education goals, not set us back. Being in the justice system shouldn’t mean youth receive inadequate or no education.