Climbing a Broken Ladder: Contributors of College Success for Youth in Foster Care

The American Campus

by Nathanael J. Okpych

Although foster youth have college aspirations similar to their peers, fewer than one in ten ultimately complete a two-year or four-year college degree. What are the major factors that influence their chances of succeeding?  Climbing a Broken Ladder  advances our knowledge of what can be done to improve college outcomes for a student group that has largely remained invisible in higher education. Drawing on data from one of the most extensive studies of young people in foster care, Nathanael J. Okpych examines a wide range of factors that contribute to the chances that foster youth enroll in college, persist in college, and ultimately complete a degree. Okpych also investigates how early trauma affects later college outcomes, as well as the impact of a significant child welfare policy that extends the age limit of foster care. The book concludes with data-driven and concrete recommendations for policy and practice to get more foster youth into and through college.

252 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2021

Reviews

[Christina Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good book! provides great insight on the foster care system from a study that was done! very informative