Foster Family Characteristics and Children’s Educational Outcomes

Emma Kalish, PhD Candidate, Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University. Roughly 6% of US children are removed from their home at least once to be placed with a foster family or in a group home. Foster care aims to prevent some of the worst disinvestments in children’s human capital, such as abuse and neglect, but is an inherently destabilizing intervention. Improving stability for children in foster care through productive placements is therefore of policy interest.