Abstract

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to determine the number of articles and provide a summary of the academic needs of youth in foster care, to explore the barriers those children and caregivers face within the educational system and to highlight to successful interventions. The method section illustrates the specific steps in conducting a systematic literature review utilizing the “Cochrane Methodology” to identify interventions that promote academic success in foster children. The aim of this literature review is to provide the number of articles and themes of current literature that focuses on the academic needs of youth in foster care and potential interventions. Thirty of 474 studies met the criteria of the systematic review. Three major themes emerged, educational programming tailored to children in foster care, foster parent engagement, and team approaches to working with children and their foster parents. While the professional literature identifies a number of interventions that have been developed, those interventions may not be appropriate for small, rural school settings.