April – June 2012, Youth Law News: A bold NCYL initiative to improve the educational prospects of foster youth in one Indiana county has done so well that it’s been expanded to cover the entire state. The Foster Youth Education Initiative, or FosterEd, will go statewide in time for the 2012-13 school year. FosterEd was created just three years ago by the National Center for Youth Law. The program, created in response to national statistics highlighting the bleak educational outcomes of foster youth, was launched as a pilot project in Marion County, Indiana. FosterEd serves as a bridge between schools, families, and DCS. Its main objective is to create and mobilize a team of people advocating for foster youth at school. Education specialists provide family case managers, teachers, school administrators, foster parents, biological parents, relative caregivers, and others the skills and knowledge to identify foster youth’s educational strengths and to ensure that their educational needs are being met. FosterEd requires that education case plans be prepared and implemented for every foster youth. The program supports these youth as they progress through school; from children in Early Head Start to teens planning for college. Link to Article