Researchers at N.C. State are working with Cumberland County Schools in an effort to improve education among foster children. The university's Department of Social Work says it will examine issues that might interrupt the learning process such as frequently switching schools. Dr. Joan Pennell is a professor of social work at N.C. State and the program's principal investigator.
Dr. Joan Pennell: "When young people's education is stabilized - they're performing better, they're more successful - this also means that what's happening within the home they're living in, whether it's foster care or they're reunited with their families, that things tend to go better there as well."
The project is funded by a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Children's Bureau over the next 17 months. Researchers expect to work with local social workers in and around Fayetteville. Pennell says the research group expects to produce a blueprint for similar programs in school districts across the country.