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Drawing on city-focused analysis and existing policies, it develops targeted recommendations for states and districts to translate “equity” into operational school-choice practice despite shifting constraints.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/truly-universal-overcoming-barriers-to-school-choice-for-youth-in-foster-care/582551/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/truly-universal-overcoming-barriers-to-school-choice-for-youth-in-foster-care/582551.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Mia  ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What does the paper identify as a core requirement for equitable school choice?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"No choice system can be equitable until all students have real access to the available options. 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N. Korman  \nTable of Contents  \nClick on each title below to jump directly to the corresponding section. Foreword 4  \nIntroduction 5  \nExisting Policy and Practice 7  \nCity Studies 12  \nWashington, D.C. 14  \nDenver, Colorado 18  \nNew York City, New York 22  \nLos Angeles, California 26  \nOther Policies and Practices 33  \nRecommendations 36  \nEndnotes 40  \nAcknowledgments 45  \nAbout the Authors 46  \nAbout Bellwether Education Partners 46  \nForeword  \nWe began writing this paper in late 2019. At that time, we were thinking a lot  \nabout how to make ideas like “equity” into reality for kids and families. We  \nwere also thinking about what “choice” means in the context of education,  \nand about what happens when you put those ideas together for a population of students who have both unique legal status and a set of heightened needs that can be challenging to meet.  \nA lot has changed since then. Schools have been closed since March, child welfare reporting is down, and no one quite knows if things will ever go back to the way they were. But things will move forward. Kids will go to school and cities that had school choice options in the past will continue to offer them —even if the makeup of the portfolio evolves.  \nAs this is published in summer 2020, we believe that the analysis and recommendations remain relevant and instructive. Indeed, they are particularly urgent now as states and districts are planning for the coming school year and must be intentional about how they will make that concept of “equity” into reality in the face of new and unpredictable constraints.  \n[ 4 ] Bellwether Education Partners  \nIntroduction  \nSchool choice allows families to choose from a range of options regardless of where  \nthey live, including charter schools, magnet schools, online schools, private schools,  \nand in-boundary schools. Regardless of the position one might take on school choice, it is clear that no choice system can be equitable until all students have real access to those choices. School choice was intended to expand options and equity, and it holds promise for many students with unique needs—including the over 400,000 youth in foster care.1  \nAs many communities across the country evaluate, invest in, and expand school choice, it is vital for agencies that serve children to be mindful of the specific education challenges students in foster care experience when it comes to accessing the full range of options, including specialized schools designed to meet their unique needs.  \nFederal law protects one explicit school placement right for students in foster care: their right to stay in their school, what’s known as their “school of origin,” even if they change addresses—if that is in their best interest. The local child welfare agency and the local education agency are entrusted with that determination, mindful that school stability is a protective factor for students experiencing other disruptions. In addition to having this right, students in foster care should have the same opportunity to access any of the schools of choice as their non-court-involved peers. Navigating choice processes, however, or even just identifying the right adult to weigh in on a school choice decision, can be fraught with difficulties for youth in foster care.  \nTruly Universal: Overcoming Barriers to School Choice for Youth in Foster Care [ 5 ]  \nWhen a child is placed in foster care, the decision-making rights for their education may rest with one of many possible adults. Those rights can remain with a biological parent orbe transferred to another family member. They can also be assigned to a court-appointed volunteer or, in some cases, to the current foster parent. These adults have different skills and capacity to dedicate to a student in their care and may know a whole lot, or very little, about the specific educational needs of the students","cbCaiaJzpkyOl4vc","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaJzpkyOl4vc","pdf",945316,47,"English","# Foreword\n# Introduction\n# Existing Policy and Practice\n# City Studies\n## Washington, D.C.\n## Denver, Colorado\n## New York City, New York\n## Los Angeles, California\n# Other Policies and Practices\n# Recommendations\n# Endnotes\n# Acknowledgments\n# About the Authors\n# About Bellwether Education Partners","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper identify as a core requirement for equitable school choice?\",\"answer\":\"No choice system can be equitable until all students have real access to the available options. For youth in foster care, access depends on both rights protections and practical ability to navigate decision processes.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper describe federal protections for youth in foster care regarding school placement?\",\"answer\":\"Federal law protects an explicit placement right to stay in a student’s “school of origin” even when addresses change, if it is in the student’s best interest. Local child welfare and education agencies make that determination with stability in mind.\"},{\"question\":\"Why can school choice processes be challenging for youth in foster care?\",\"answer\":\"Educational decision-making rights may be held by different adults with varying knowledge and capacity, and students must identify the right adult to weigh in on choices. This complexity can make both identifying and applying for the right options difficult.\"}]","Truly Universal - Overcoming Barriers to School Choice for Youth in Foster Care | PDF",118]