The Initiative to Improve Educational Outcomes for Foster Children is designed to address the educational needs of dependent children in the Washoe County Family Court through development of four key components: individual advocacy, systems training, policy development, and data collection. These four components were chosen to address the substantial and multiple unmet educational needs of our community’s foster children.

Reno’s Model Court Team, led by Judge Deborah Schumacher, has prioritized this issue as one of the Team’s top goals. Specifically, the Team has determined the need to assess the status of education of foster children as part of a multi-year effort to improve educational outcomes. The Team is a collaborative effort of the Family Court and stakeholders in the foster care system. Participants include leaders from the CASA Program, Washoe County Social Services, the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, Children’s Counsel, Washoe County School District, Washoe County Juvenile Services, and the Sierra Association of Foster Families. The Model Court has initiated an Advisory Committee for Education and Foster Care. Its membership is listed under a separate heading entitled “Education Advisory Committee Members”. This service is made possible through generous funding by the Walter S. Johnson Foundation and Washoe County.