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

(Table 6 goes about here).

This study found significant differences between the ratings of foster parents and social workers in three subject areas (see table 7). Foster parents rated placement in foster care while of high school age as an obstacle to achievement (X = 5.05), while social workers concluded that this subject area was neither a benefit nor an obstacle to achievement (X = 4.13). This difference was significant at the .01 level. For middle school African American males, foster parents viewed placement in foster care as neither a benefit nor an obstacle (X = 4.30). Although social workers also assigned a neutral rating to this area (X = 3.64), the difference between the ratings of the two groups was significant at the .05 level. There was one other area in which a significant difference was found. Social workers and foster parents had a significant difference of opinion regarding the impact of an increasing length of stay in foster care. Social workers saw it as a benefit to academic achievement for African American males in foster care (X = 3.21), while foster parents saw it as being neither a benefit nor an obstacle (X = 4.10). This difference was significant at the .05 level.

(Table 7 goes about here).

It appears that foster parents and social workers believed that placement in foster care poses significantly more obstacles to academic achievement for older African American mates than for younger African American males (see table 8). For African American males of elementary age, foster parents and social workers rated placement in foster care as a benefit to achievement (X = 3.07 and 3.09, respectively). As previously documented, social workers and foster parents rated the placement of middle school-aged African American males in foster care as a benefit to achievement. Social workers thought that placement of high school-aged African American males in foster care was neither a benefit nor an obstacle to academic achievement while foster parents rated this area as an obstacle. In combining the means of the two groups, placement of elementary school-aged children received a mean of 3.06, placement of middle school-aged children received a mean of 3.93, and placement of high school-aged children received a mean of 4.57. The combined mean for elementary-aged children was significantly less than the combined means for middle and high school-- aged children (Q

(Table 8 goes about here).

There were subjects areas unique to each questionnaire. Foster parents were asked about the effect of participation in extracurricular activities on academic achievement while social workers were not. In asking this question exclusively of foster parents, it was expected that they would have insight in this subject area that social workers would not have. Social workers, on the other hand, were asked about the results of placing African American mates with foster parents whose levels of education exceed or are less than the education levels of the biological/custodial parents. Foster parents rated involvement in extracurricular activities as a benefit to academic achievement for African American males in foster care (X = 2.68). Social workers thought that placement of African American males with foster parents whose education levels exceed those of the youth's biological vs. custodial parents is beneficial to academic achievement (X = 2.65). By comparison, social workers rated placement of African American youth in foster homes where the foster parents' education level was less than the education levels of the biological parents as an obstacle to academic achievement CX = 5.20).