academic experiences of African American males in an urban midwest foster care system, The

(Table 5 goes about here). Foster Parent and Social Worker Questionnaire Results

Literature from similar studies has indicated that foster parents and social workers are critical to the academic success of foster children (Mech, 1994; Evans, 1996). Armed with this knowledge, the present study examined the perceptions of foster parents and social workers regarding impediments to academic achievement for African American males in foster care. Foster parents and social workers were as e to complete a questionnaire which, in-part, use a seven-point liekert Scale to rate the impact of assorted facets of foster care placement on academic achievement for African American males in foster care. The foster parent questionnaire included 16 subject areas while the social worker questionnaire included 17 subject areas (see table 6). Means from foster parent and social worker questionnaires less than 3.5 were considered to be benefits to academic achievement, means between 3.5 and 4.5 were considered to be neither benefits nor obstacles to academic achievement, while means greater than 4.5 were considered to be obstacles to academic achievement.

This study found that foster parents and social workers generally agreed on which subject areas were benefits to academic achievement, which were obstacles, and which were neither. In fact,the two groups agreed on the top two benefits, but reversed the order of importance, and on the greatest obstacle to academic achievement. Social workers indicated that keeping African American males in their original foster homes throughout placement is the top benefit to academic achievement (X = 1.98), followed by placement with siblings in the same foster home (X = 2.63). Foster parents rated placement with siblings in the same foster home as being the most beneficial to academic achievement (X = 2.53), followed by keeping African American males in their original foster home throughout placement (X = 2.58). Social workers and foster parents agreed that removing an African American male from his foster home to place him in another foster home represented the greatest obstacle to academic achievement (X = 5.31 and 5.27, respectively).

The similarities do not end there. Social Workers rated 8 of the 17 subject areas on their questionnaire as neither benefits nor obstacles to academic achievement for African American males in foster care. Foster parents gave neutral ratings to 8 of the 16 subject areas. Foster parents judged 5 subject areas to be benefits to achievement, while social workers gave beneficial ratings to 7 subject areas. Foster parents thought that 3 subject areas were obstacles to academic achievement; social workers indicated that only 2 areas were )( obstacles (see table 6). Both foster parents and social workers agreed that placing an African American male in a foster home that is located in a new neighborhood is more beneficial to academic achievement than placement in a foster home that is located in the same neighborhood as the child's previous home. Foster parents and social workers rated the former area as a benefit to achievement (X =3.39 and 3.48, respectively). Foster parents rated the latter area as an obstacle, while foster parents said it was neither a benefit nor an obstacle (X = 4.89 and 4.29, respectively). In slight contrast to but not significantly different than those perspectives, foster parents and social workers agreed that keeping African American males in the same schools when they are placed in new foster homes is more beneficial to academic achievement (X = 3.81 and 3.46, respectively) than placement in the same neighborhood. There were additional areas of non significant disagreement in the ratings of foster parents and social workers. Those areas include: entrance into foster care; contact between African American males in foster care and their biological/custodial parents; the reunification of African American males in foster care with their biological/custodial parents; and the effects of placing African American males in new schools when they are placed in new foster homes.