Pathways to Resilience III: Beyond Nature vs. Nurture

Abstract #280
Addressing Processes Before Outcomes: Designing Effective Interventions to Improve Academic Outcomes for Children in Foster Care
Presenter: Jaime Wegner-Lohin  
Abstract:
In order to be more effective, interventions designed to improve academic outcomes for children in foster care must address the processes that lead to improved education outcomes. Child maltreatment has a number of negative consequences on both the neurodevelopmental and attachment processes of the developing child, which contribute to difficulty with skills required to learn in the classroom. A review of the empirical literature was completed on processes and interventions associated with improved education outcomes for maltreated children. Findings suggest a number of processes that contribute to improved academic outcomes following maltreatment including self-regulation, executive functioning, and social competency. In contrast, the majority of existing interventions focus on improving reading and math scores and fail to address the underlying processes associated with improved functioning in the classroom. This presentation advocates the need to refocus interventions to target the processes associated with improved educational outcomes prior to focusing on academic achievement. Further, the need to simultaneously address systemic issues within child welfare and education practice, policy and research will also be discussed as a means to improve education outcomes for children in foster care.