University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Building futures

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Building futures

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Content 1
BUILDING FUTURES

Hilda M. Billups
Capstone Project Proposal
presented to the
DSW Program, Dr. June Wiley
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
University of Southern California

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Social Work
August 2023
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Number
I. Acknowledgments 3
II. Executive Summary 4
III. Abstract 8
IV. Positionality Statement 9
V. Problem of Practice and Literature Review 10
VI. Conceptual Framework 15
VII. Project Description 18
VIII. Methodology 24
IX. Implementation Plan 28
X. Challenges 32
XI. Ethical Consideration and Applying Design Justice Principles 33
XII. Conclusion and Implications 36
XIII. References 38
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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to have been blessed with many champions who have helped me complete this
journey.

I would like to thank my capstone chair, Dr. June Wiley. You shepherded me through this
process from my first semester at USC until now. Thank you for challenging me and your
guidance and support.

I also recognize the enormous contributions of my ancestors to my success. My maternal
grandfather, Jesse L. Davis, nurtured my self-confidence from an early age. My maternal
grandmother, Mrs. Muzelle Cheek Davis always believed I would become an educator. My
maternal aunts and uncle, Geraldine, Ernestine, Jean, Joyce, and Daniel used their own
resources to fund my undergraduate education. My mother, Hilda A. Davis Cordell constantly
led with ambition. Thank you for imagining worlds for me beyond our currently realities.

Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Ellis and daughter, Lillian. The two of you sacrificed
alongside me to achieve this degree. You extended to me grace and patience and I appreciate
both of you.

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Executive Summary

The American Association of Social Work and Social Welfare launched the Grand
Challenges for Social Work in 2016 (Bent-Goodley et al., 2019). The grand challenge to achieve
equal opportunity and justice was designed to identify and empower members of groups who
have been historically marginalized and stigmatized (McRoy & Padilla, 2016). In terms of
educational achievement and attainment, foster care alumni (youth who have spent at least one
day in foster care) have been historically marginalized. These youth have less educational
opportunity than their peers without foster care experience. These limited educational
opportunities impact other opportunities in adulthood such as employment or housing
opportunities. As adults, foster care alumni are unable to participate in society because they have
been denied educational opportunity.
Texas foster care alumni have completed high school and college at lower rates than their
peers (Texas Education Agency, 2021). For the Texas high school graduating class of 2020, just
61.4% of foster care alumni graduated from high school within 4 years of beginning high school
while 90.3% of their peers without foster care experience graduated from high school within 4
years (Texas Education Agency, 2021). The Texas workforce is missing out on the talents of
38.6% of foster care alumni. These poor secondary outcomes are compounded by dismal
postsecondary education outcomes. According to Watt and Faulkner (2020), only 13.5% of
Texas foster care alumni enrolled in college. Of this small number, only 1.5% of those completed
a bachelor’s degree. The outcomes for sub-baccalaureate credentials was not better. Only 1.5%
foster care alumni earned a level 1 certificate and just 0.5% earned an associate’s degree within 6
years (Watt et al., 2019; Watt & Faulkner, 2020). Very few foster care alumni have attempted
college and of those who started, an exceedingly small percentage have graduated (Hunter et al.,
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2014). These low educational attainment rates have consequences for the individual and their
communities.
This capstone project proposing implementing a dual credit campus-based support
program to increase postsecondary credential completion for foster care alumni. Building Futures
will provide high school aged foster care alumni with the opportunity to take college classes via
dual credit from Lamar State College Port Arthur. Students will have the opportunity to begin
participating in dual credit courses beginning in the ninth grade and continuing until high school
graduation. Students will be offered career and technical education courses within a level 1
certificate in a high wage, high demand, high growth entry level career option in Southeast
Texas. College courses will be offered virtually, on high school campuses, and on the college’s
campus. Students will be able to begin the program during any semester or session (Fall, Spring,
Summer, Winter Mini and May Mini). Students will be informed of the opportunity via high
school visits, college campus visits, monthly Preparation for Adult Living (P.A.L.) meetings, and
mailings. Students will receive enrollment, advising, student support, and career coaching
services from a designated success coach employed by Lamar State College Port Arthur.
Students may begin receiving coaching services as early as the eighth grade and services will
continue until high school graduation. The first cohort of foster care alumni will start taking
classes in the Fall 2023 semester.
Building Futures requires a small budget to implement. The program would rely mostly
on Carl D. Perkins funding with a small percentage funded through institutional funds from the
Office of Dual Credit Programs. The budget would include an annual salary of $45,000 plus
$13,5000 in benefits for one success coach. Carl D. Perkins funding would also be used for
marketing materials, printing, and incentives up to $2,000 annually. The college would provide a
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telephone at no additional cost to the unit. Mileage reimbursement of up to $3,000 annually
would be provided by the Office of Dual Credit Programs. Finally, the Office of Dual Credit
Programs would provide $2,500 for a desktop, a laptop, and a printer. This is a one-time
expense.
Building Futures has the potential to bring significant value to the individual foster care
alumni who participate in the program. Additionally, the foster care alumni will make
contributions to the economic stability of Southeast Texas as they earn credentials and secure
employment in high wage, high demand, and high growth career fields. The primary objective of
Building Futures is to increase the percentage of foster care alumni in Region 5 who earn a level
1 certificate from a two-year college within four years of initial enrollment to 50%. This is a
substantial increase over the current credential attainment rate of 1.5% Watt et al., 2019; Watt &
Faulkner, 2020.
In addition to this primary objective, several intermediary objectives have been
identified. Building Futures will increase foster care alumni knowledge about dual credit and
increase the number of middle school aged foster care alumni who plan to participate in dual
credit. The percentage of foster care alumni who complete a college application will increase.
Likewise, the percentage of foster care alumni who enroll in at least one college class will
increase. Since the activation of the Texas tuition waiver are tied to enrollment in at least one
college course, Building Futures will increase the percentage of foster care alumni who activate
the Texas tuition waiver. Through the support of the success coach, Building Futures will
increase the percentage of foster care alumni wo earn at least 3 credit hours of college credit in
high school. Lastly, Building Futures will increase the percentage of foster care alumni who
secure full-time employment.
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Foster care alumni need solutions designed to help them secure postsecondary
credentials. Dual credit programs like Building Futures can meet their needs by allowing
students to combine high school and college. Further, dual credit options are preferable over
other solutions because dual credit options allow students to complete postsecondary credentials
before they are forced to take on the challenges associated with leaving care.
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Abstract
Youth with foster care experiences (i.e., foster care alumni) have poor educational attainment
outcomes (Texas Education Agency, 2021). These poor outcomes compound earlier
disadvantages and have individual and collective consequences. Annually, approximately 20,000
youth are emancipated from foster care in the United States (National Youth in Transition
Database, 2023). Only 75% reported receiving a high school diploma or GED by 21 and 4%
reported completing a postsecondary credential. Meanwhile, by 21 only 55% reported part-time
or full-time employment, 44% experienced homelessness at some point after leaving care, and
31% received public assistance. This situated the problem of poor educational attainment for
foster care alumni within the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s Grand
Challenge to achieve equal opportunity and justice. To explore this problem and develop a
solution, Liedtka and Ogilvie’s (2011) methodology presented in Designing for Growth was
used. The methodology outlines 15 steps to create innovative solutions for challenging social
problems. Based on this methodology, a dual credit solution was proposed. Dual credit and early
college high school models have potential to improve postsecondary credential attainment
outcomes for foster care alumni. Changing these educational outcomes can lead to better
employment opportunities, lower instances of homelessness, and decreased use of public
assistance (National Youth in Transition Database, 2023). New solutions like introducing foster
youth to postsecondary education during high school instead of after emancipation should be
cooperatively explored.
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Positionality Statement
In the spirit of self-reflexivity, I acknowledge my perspectives as a married, African
American mother who was a first-generation college student. I have had no experience as a youth
in foster care and no experience caring for youth in foster care. Rather, I have spent the last
decade advocating for and supporting dual credit opportunities for disadvantaged youth for two
reasons. First, I believe the pathway from high school completion to postsecondary credential
completion can be shortened. Dual credit takes advantage of the duplications in secondary and
postsecondary curricula and shortens the time to completion for students. Second, communities
suffer when only youth from the wealthiest households participate in postsecondary education.
Dual credit provides the opportunity for increasing access to postsecondary education for youth
who would not otherwise enroll in postsecondary institutions by delivering postsecondary
education at the same time the youth and their families have dedicated to secondary education. I
bring those experiences to this work.
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Problem of Practice and Literature Review
Foster care alumni have completed high school and college at lower rates than their peers
(Texas Education Agency, 2021). For the Texas high school graduating class of 2020, just 61.4%
of foster care alumni graduated from high school within 4 years of beginning high school while
90.3% of their peers without foster care experience graduated from high school within 4 years
(Texas Education Agency, 2021). Nationally, between 2%–11% of foster care alumni who began
postsecondary programs earned degrees and certificates (Okpych & Courtney, 2014). In Texas,
only 1.5% of those began a bachelor’s degree, only 1.5% of those started a Level 1 certificate
program, and just 0.5% of those who began an associate’s degree program completed their
intended program of study within 6 years (Watt et al., 2019; Watt & Faulkner, 2020). Very few
foster care alumni have attempted college and of those who started, an exceedingly small
percentage have graduated (Hunter et al., 2014). These low educational attainment rates have
consequences for the individual and their communities.
The American Association of Social Work and Social Welfare launched the Grand
Challenges for Social Work in 2016 (Bent-Goodley et al., 2019). Each grand challenge was
determined to be one of the most impactful problems in society worthy of scholarship and
innovation (Uehara et al., 2014). The grand challenge to achieve equal opportunity and justice
sought to identify and empower members of groups who have been historically marginalized and
stigmatized (McRoy & Padilla, 2016). The coleads for this grand challenge identified four areas
of policy and practice focus—healthcare, education, housing, and employment. Although the
coleads chose to focus on the deleterious impacts of school discipline on educational outcomes,
the author of the current project recognized other inequities within education worthy of attention.
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As such, this capstone project focuses on achieving equal opportunity and justice for foster care
alumni by improving postsecondary credential attainment through dual credit courses.
Between October 1 of each year and September 30 of the following year, more than
600,000 children spend at least 1 day in foster care (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 2021). This number represents about 1% of all children in the United States (Bald et
al., 2022). More than 400,000 children are counted in the annual census taken on September 30
each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021) and approximately 5% of
children in United States have experienced foster care (Bald et al., 2022). Annually, 20,000
youth are emancipated from foster care in the United States (National Youth in Transition
Database, 2019). Emancipation means the youth leaves foster care because they have reached the
age of adulthood in their location. There is no standard age for emancipation. Each locality can
determine the appropriate age for emancipation. In some localities, youth as young as 16 are
emancipated, while in other localities, youth remain in foster care until their 21st birthday
(Simmel & Kelly, 2020). Unfortunately, this abrupt introduction to adulthood negatively impacts
the educational attainment for foster care alumni (Haggman-Laitila et al., 2019; Packard &
Benuto, 2020; Rome & Raskin, 2019; Scannapieco et al., 2016).
Foster care alumni have poor educational attainment outcomes at each stage of the
educational process, demonstrating predictors of poor educational achievement as early as
elementary school (Dimakos et al., 2022; Hobbs et al., 2021). Foster care alumni have irregular
school attendance when compared to youth who have not experienced foster care (Kothari et al.,
2020). Likewise, foster care alumni score worse on standardized tests in elementary and
secondary grades and are more likely to be required to repeat one or more grade levels than their
peers (Hunter et al., 2014). This early performance in elementary school impacts the access
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foster care alumni have to rigorous programs of study in secondary school settings. All these
disadvantages compound to result in poor high school graduation or GED attainment rates.
Nationally, just 58% of foster care alumni have earned either a high school diploma or GED by
age 19 (National Youth in Transition Database, 2023). A young person who has spent just 1 day
in foster care is half as likely as their peers without foster care experience to graduate from high
school (Clemens et al., 2016).
The possession of a postsecondary credential positively impacts an individual’s ability to
gain and maintain secure employment (Dworsky, 2020). Secure employment leads to other
positive life outcomes in adulthood (Sanders et al., 2020). Conversely, young adults who do not
obtain postsecondary credentials are more likely to experience poor life outcomes. Foster care
alumni are more likely to experience homelessness, poor physical and mental health, poverty,
unemployment, substance abuse, and be involved in the criminal justice system as both victims
and perpetrators of crime (Rome & Raskin, 2019). The National Youth in Transition Database
(2023) survey measured six outcomes of independence and is administered to foster care alumni
at ages 17, 19, and 21. In the most recent survey, 23% of foster care alumni aged 19 reported
receiving some form of public assistance and the percentage grew to 31% by age 21 (National
Youth in Transition Database, 2023). The same survey reported only 45% of the 19 year olds
were employed either part time or full time and only 55% of the 21 year olds. Foster care alumni
have not participated in employment at the same rates as their peers. Postsecondary credential
attainment could change these employment outcomes leading to changes in public assistance
usage.
The author selected a variety of stakeholders for input in this project. Stakeholders
included campus-based support program personnel, Preparation for Adult Living (P.A.L.)
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Coordinators, researchers with published scholarship on postsecondary outcomes for Texas
foster care alumni, non-profit employees, foster care alumni with graduate degrees, a foster
parent, and secondary foster care liaison. Stakeholders understood and defined this problem from
the perspective of its economic consequences. When foster care alumni do not have
postsecondary credentials, they cannot participate in the workforce in the ways they wish to and
in ways most beneficial to communities (L. Marcantel, personal communication, May 24, 2023).
Instead, they are more likely to experience economic challenges in adulthood such as
unemployment, underemployment, or homelessness, or rely on public assistance programs to
meet their basic needs. Stakeholders believed not enough attention has been paid to career plans
for foster care alumni (S. Bustillos, personal communication, November 23, 2020). The link
between postsecondary education and economic participation has not been made clear for foster
care alumni nor for the adults who influence foster care alumni decisions about postsecondary
education. Though foster care alumni are supposed to develop career plans in their Circle of
Support meetings, P.A.L. coordinators have lamented these plans are often too vague (E.
Jeffcoat, personal communication, November 19, 2020). A local transition center employee and a
retired P.A.L. specialist reported the plans often include college in an effort to secure housing
without any real consideration of career aspirations, motivation, drive, or focus (D. Duhon,
personal communication, November 18, 2020; S. Fowler, personal communication, November
17, 2020).
Stakeholders also believed educational institutions could do more to help foster care
alumni earn credentials (A. Jones, personal communication, November 20, 2020; E. Preston,
personal communication, May 24, 2023). Though Texas statute mandated each public
postsecondary institution appoint a foster care liaison, the actual utility of the position to foster
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care alumni has varied (Designation of Liaison Officer to Assist Students Who Are or Were in
Foster Care, 2015/2019). Multiple stakeholders believed more training was needed for foster care
liaisons (M. Armentor, personal communication, October 6, 2020; E. Preston, personal
communication, November 18, 2020). The statute requiring foster care liaisons has been
unfunded. In many cases, this results in institutions adding the responsibilities of foster care
liaison to the existing job requirements of an employee. New positions have rarely been created
just for the foster care liaison duties. Treating the foster care liaison role as an additional duty
may account for why stakeholders believed foster care liaisons were too difficult for students and
other concerned adults to reach (E. Jeffcoat, personal communication, November 19, 2020).
Stakeholders focused on lack of support as one of the factors holding this problem in
place. Every stakeholder mentioned support in their interview. Stakeholders talked about various
times when foster care alumni needed support. Some mentioned the need for supportive adults to
encourage college as an expectation (J. Baker, personal communication, November 4, 2020).
Others stressed the need for support to help foster care alumni make good course choices in high
school because course choice determines college readiness and the competitiveness of college
admissions applications (S. Bustillos, personal communication, November 23, 2020; E. Jeffcoat,
personal communication, November 19, 2020). Other stakeholders talked about the support
needed to navigate the cumbersome processes of applying to college and applying for financial
aid (T. Watt, personal communication, November 23, 2020). One stakeholder believed support
was a moral obligation of the state (T. Watt, personal communication, November 23, 2020; T.
Watt, personal communication, May 24, 2023). Finally, the stakeholders encouraged the author
to consider the ways a solution could provide appropriate support.
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Conceptual Framework
Though many theories could be applicable, the author chose to focus on social capital
theory as the theoretical framework for this project. Social capital theory suggests individuals
accumulate immaterial assets over their lifetimes (Crawley et al., 2019). Some of these assets are
cultivated by the individual but many are inherited through the individual’s family of origin.
These assets are used by the individual to successfully move through life. Students who have
more social capital are more successful at each college completion milestone. Students with less
social capital have more difficulty navigating these milestones (Crawley et al., 2019).
Because an individual acquires most of their social capital through the individual’s family
of origin, individuals born into families of advantage have more social capital and individuals
born into disadvantaged families have less social capital. Foster care alumni may be the youth
with the least amount of social capital (Okpych & Courtney, 2017). Foster care alumni transition
into adulthood without a supportive network of adults and peers to help them navigate the
transition (Kim et al., 2018). In the absence of this important social capital, having the ability to
provide for oneself without relying on others is even more critical for foster care alumni
(Packard & Benuto, 2020).
The logic model for Building Futures is presented in Appendix A. The theoretical
framework is evident in the logic model. The logic model has seven components: (a) situation,
(b) priorities, (c) assumptions, (d) external factors, (e) inputs, (f) outputs, and (g) outcomes and
impact. The situation is the problem statement. Foster care alumni are not graduating from high
school and college (Texas Education Agency, 2021). The priorities are the youth to be served by
Building Futures. The project will focus on foster care alumni in Grades 9–12 in the Department
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of Family and Protective Services’ Region 5, who attend high schools eligible to served by
Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA).
There were five assumptions for this project. First, current solutions have been
implemented at the wrong time for foster care alumni. Second, foster care alumni should leave
care ready for work. Third, stakeholders are supportive of this project. Fourth, high school
students are capable of completing college courses. Fifth, high school and college can be
combined.
Three external factors have potential to impact this project. First, the project depends on
adequate Carl D. Perkins funding for the success coach position. Second, a qualified success
coach who can build rapport with foster care alumni and effectively support students must be
hired for this project. Third, the project depends on stable placements for foster care alumni and
continued access to the youth.
There are eight inputs for the project. The first input is the success coach. The success
coach will be the primary person responsible for helping students build social capital. The
success coach will be among the first sources of social capital as they help foster care alumni
navigate the college admissions and enrollment process. Further, the success coach will make
introductions to other college personnel. Finally, the success coach will collaborate with external
stakeholders. Through these collaborations, the external stakeholders should become additional
sources of social capital.
The second input is the combined planning time of existing dual credit and college
personnel and the success coach. The third is money to be used for events, professional
development, travel, supplies, and incentives. The fourth input is the expertise of the author. The
fifth are materials such as handbooks, catalogs, and degree audits. Spaces are the sixth input.
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This input includes the dedicated office space for the success coach and other campus spaces
such as conference rooms, classrooms, and auditoriums that can be used for meetings or events.
The seventh input is technology. This input includes a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a
voice over internet phone, and a printer, as well as access to college software and the student
information system. Finally, the eighth input is the partners. The partners are identified as
participants in the output component of the logic model.
The outputs include the participants, activities, and direct products. The project will reach
foster care alumni, their caregivers, school counselors, secondary foster care liaisons, the P.A.L.
coordinator, potential high school faculty, college employees, and secondary career and technical
education directors. Again, all these participants are potential sources of social capital for the
foster care alumni. The activities are the actions to be done as part of the project.
The success coach will conduct workshops and meetings about the Level 1 certificate
programs available at LSCPA. The success coach will participate in community events for foster
care alumni and visit high schools. The success coach will partner with college personnel to host
college campus tours. The success coach will help foster care alumni complete applications to
the college. The success coach will provide coaching and advising to students participating in
Building Futures. The success coach will register foster care alumni for classes and help youth
access their Texas tuition waivers. Finally, the success coach will promote the project. The direct
products to be produced include project plans and documents, event documents, student
schedules, student degree plans, templates, satisfaction, community networks, and social capital
for foster care alumni.
Finally, the logic model presents the outcomes and impact of Building Futures. The
short-term outcomes are expected to be completed within the first 3 years of implementation.
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First, Building Futures will increase awareness of dual credit opportunities. Second, the project
will increase the number of middle school aged foster care alumni who wish to participate in
dual credit.
The medium range outcomes can be completed within the first 5 years of implementation.
First, the project will increase the number of foster care alumni who complete college
applications. Second, the project will increase the percentage of foster care alumni who activate
the Texas tuition waiver. Third, the project will increase the percentage of foster care alumni
who complete at least three credit hours of college coursework.
The long-term outcomes and impact are expected to be completed within 7 years of
implementation. First, 50% of foster care alumni in Region 5 will earn a Level 1 certificate
within 4 years of initial enrollment. Second, Building Futures will increase the number of foster
care alumni who secure full time employment before leaving care.
Project Description
Building Futures will provide high school aged, foster care alumni with the opportunity
to take college classes via dual credit from LSCPA, beginning in the ninth grade and continuing
until high school graduation. Students will be offered career and technical education courses
within a Level 1 certificate in a high wage, high demand, high growth entry level career field.
College courses will be offered virtually, on high school campuses, and on the college’s campus.
Courses will be available to students during the college’s fall, spring, and summer sessions.
Students will be informed of the opportunity during their Circle of Support meetings beginning
at age 14. Students will receive enrollment, advising, student support, and career coaching
services from a designated success coach employed by LSCPA. Students may begin receiving
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coaching services as early as the eighth grade and services will continue until high school
graduation.
Theory of Change
The theory of change for Building Futures is the social capital of foster care alumni can
be increased by providing them with access to opportunities for interaction with college
personnel through the college enrollment, matriculation, and completion processes. See
Appendix B for the theory of change. This project will disrupt traditional methods of social
capital transmission by giving participants opportunities to build their own social capital through
the development of relationships with the success coach and other college personnel. The
experiences of Krebs and Pitcoff (2006) emphasized the development of networks was crucial to
postsecondary and career success for the foster care alumni they served.
The desired change of Building Futures is to increase the number of foster care alumni
who complete college by offering college courses via dual credit. The anticipated outcome of the
project is 50% of foster care alumni in Southeast Texas will complete a Level 1 certificate. This
goal is realistic when compared to current dual credit completion rates at LSCPA. Each year
between 95%–100% of the high school students participating in Level 1 certificate programs
complete those programs before high school graduation. Of the students pursuing the associate of
arts in academic studies, 63% earned the degree in the class of 2023.
Building Futures aligns with educational best practices for improving high school
graduation, access to college, and the completion of a college credential. Hoffman et al. (2008)
argued youth are most vulnerable during their transition years, when students are in Grades 9–14.
During this period, youth may make academic decisions or experience educational challenges
that limit their future employment and economic options. Building Futures will be implemented
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during these transition years. Furthermore, Hoffman et al. (2008) suggested providing high
school students with access to college level course work is a strategy for helping more of the
nation’s most vulnerable students complete high school and college. Introducing college in high
school helps underprepared students access college.
Solution Landscape
For decades, the federal government has attempted to increase postsecondary credential
attainment for foster care alumni. In 1986, Congress passed Title IV-E to establish the
Independent Living Program (Mares, 2010) to address the transition needs of foster care alumni.
In 1999, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program replaced the Independent Living
Program (Simmel & Kelly, 2020). In 2001, Chafee expanded to include the Education and
Training Voucher (ETV) program (Okpych et al., 2020; Watt et al., 2018). Unfortunately, the
ETV program has been underfunded and underused. The annual allotment for the ETV program
is $60 million for the nation (Okpych et al., 2020). If all 20,000 foster care alumni who were
emancipated annually used the $5,000 entitlement, it would need to be funded at a minimum of
$100 million. Yet, in 2012, 2013, and 2014, states returned between 2.7%–5.6% of ETV funds
(Okpych et al., 2020).
The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 added new
support for foster care alumni during the period before, during, and after their transition from
foster care (Kelly & Simmel, 2020). Finally, the most recent reauthorization of the Carl D.
Perkins grant identified foster care alumni for the first time as a special population, allowing
states, postsecondary institutions, and secondary school districts to each use Carl D. Perkins
funds to support postsecondary credential attainment for foster care alumni (Abram, 2018;
Lufkin, 2019).
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States have also attempted to address educational outcomes for foster care alumni with a
combination of tuition waivers and support. Watt and Faulkner (2020) reported 22 states have
tuition waiver programs for foster care alumni. State’s criteria for eligibility varied. One state
limited the tuition waiver to only those who are emancipated from foster care. Therefore, youth
who were reunited with their biological families, placed in a kinship arrangement, or adopted
were excluded from receiving the tuition waiver in those states. During the 2014–2015 academic
year, some states distributed fewer than 50 tuition waivers (Watt & Faulkner, 2020). Texas
introduced a tuition waiver in 1993.
Campus support programs were intended to help foster care alumni access, enroll, persist,
and complete postsecondary programs (Okpych et al., 2020). All nine of Texas’s campus support
programs are located on university campuses, which can present barriers (Fostering Success
Michigan, n.d.; Geiger et al., 2018). The cumulative educational disadvantages foster care
alumni experience may prevent them from being eligible for admission to a university with a
campus support program. Conversely, California has taken promising steps to expanding access
to campus support programs by allocating state funds to programs at its 73 community college
districts (Okpych et al., 2020). Building Futures would use Carl D. Perkins funds to employ the
success coach and allow students to activate the Texas tuition waiver at open admission
institutions.
Prototype Description
The author chose a journey map as the prototype for Building Futures because journey
maps provide higher educational professionals with the unique opportunity to view programs and
services from the prospective of students (Rains, 2017) (see Appendix C). The journey map has
three parts—access, progress, and success. The access portion focuses on the activities the
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student and success coach will engage in around enrolling the student in college classes. The
progress portion addresses the activities the student and the success coach will complete to help
the student persist in the program each semester. The success portion demonstrates the steps the
student and the success coach will take to help the student finish the credential and seek
employment. As the foster care alumni participate in Building Futures, their postsecondary
outcomes will change. This process addresses the grand challenge to achieve equal opportunity
and justice.
Building Futures aligns with the logic model and the theory of change. First, both the
logic model and the theory of change center on the work of the success coach. All the activities
listed in the logic model and the theory of change are activities to be executed by the success
coach. Second, the outcomes presented in the logic model and the theory of change are designed
to increase postsecondary participation and completions, which is the ultimate goal of Building
Futures. Third, both identify the problem Building Futures seeks to address.
Likelihood of Success
The primary objective of Building Futures is to increase the percentage of foster care
alumni in Region 5 of Southeast Texas who earn a Level 1 certificate from a 2-year college to
50% within their 4th year of initial enrollment at the college. This time period was chosen over
other shorter or longer time periods because the author wishes to take advantage of all 4 years of
high school but wishes credential completion to occur before emancipation. Participants can
begin enrolling in college classes as early as ninth grade; thus, a ninth grader would have up to 4
years to complete the Level 1 certificate. Currently, only 1.5% of Texas foster care alumni earn a
Level 1 certificate within 6 years of beginning the credential program (Watt et al., 2019; Watt &
Faulkner, 2020).
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In addition to the primary indicator of success described previously, the author expects
the project to increase dual credit knowledge and participation. Building Futures will increase the
percentage of high school aged foster care alumni who know about dual credit. The author
participated in a college and career fair for foster care alumni in Summer 2022. Of the
approximately 25 youth who completed the author’s survey, less than half indicated they knew
about dual credit before talking to the author. Building Futures will also increase the percentage
of middle school aged foster care alumni who plan to participate in dual credit in high school.
Once more students learn about dual credit, the author expects more foster care alumni to express
interest in participating in dual credit courses.
The author also expects the project to improve several admissions, enrollment, and
completion outcomes. The percentage of foster care alumni who complete a college application
should increase as a result of Building Futures. Likewise, the percentage of foster care alumni
who enroll in at least one college class should increase. Watt and Faulkner (2020) reported only
13.5% of Texas foster care alumni enrolled in college. Because the activation of the lifetime
benefits associated with the Texas tuition waiver are tied to enrollment in at least one college
course, Building Futures should increase the percentage of foster care alumni who activate the
Texas tuition waiver. Currently, only 60% of college-enrolled foster care alumni use the Texas
tuition waiver (Watt & Faulkner, 2020). Through the support of the Building Futures success
coach, foster care alumni enrolling in college courses should successfully complete those
courses. Thus, Building Futures should increase the percentage of foster care alumni who earn at
least 3 credit hours of college credit in high school. Lastly, Building Futures should increase the
percentage of foster care alumni who secure an offer of full-time employment before leaving
care. The most recent National Youth in Transition Database survey showed only 2% of Texas
24

foster care alumni reported full-time employment at age 17, only 18% at age 19, and only 28% at
age 21 (National Youth in Transition Database, 2023).
Methodology
To explore this problem and develop a solution, the author used the methodology
presented by Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011) in Designing for Growth. The methodology outlines
four stages those seeking to create innovative solutions to challenging social problems should
employ. The stages are (a) what is, (b) what if, (c) what wows, and (d) what works. The what is
stage encourages the designer to consider the current reality. In the what if stage, the designer is
challenged to draft a new future if the problem were resolved. The what wows stage stimulates
the designer to be creative in solution drafting. Finally, the what works stage tests the designer’s
solutions in the marketplace. The methodology encourages designers to continuously create
drafts of the solution and revisit previous conclusions to improve the solution.
In the what is stage of the process, the author conducted interviews with 20 stakeholders
to gather more information about the problem and potential solutions. Eight interviewees worked
in campus-based support programs for foster care alumni at the time of the interview or had prior
work experience with campus-based support programs. These campus-based support programs
included university and community college settings. Four were currently working with foster
care alumni as part of P.A.L. Two researchers whose scholarship focused on postsecondary
outcomes for Texas foster care alumni were interviewed. The author also interviewed two
employees working at nonprofits concerned with increasing the number of foster care alumni
who earn postsecondary credentials. Two foster care alumni who earned graduate degrees were
also interviewed. The two final interviewees were a foster parent and a secondary foster care
liaison. The interviews provided the author with questions the author used to guide the search of
25

the scholarly literature on this topic. The interviews also provided the author with initial ideas
about the way this project could be innovative.
Continuing in the what is stage, the author used the University of Southern California’s
(USC) library search engine to search the existing scholarship on this topic. The author began
with the phrase “foster care” and limited the results by adding other search terms. The search
terms “foster care” and “college” provided the author with articles about postsecondary
enrollment, persistence, and completion rates. The author chose the term “college” over other
terms such as “postsecondary,” “university,” or “higher education” because the author worked at
a 2-year college. The terms “postsecondary,” “university,” or “higher education” typically refer
only to baccalaureate granting institutions and exclude institutions awarding associate degrees or
certificates. The author realized the solution would eventually be situated in a 2-year college.
Thus, the author sought the most inclusive terms for institution type in the initial searches. When
the author used the search terms “foster care” and “transition,” articles about the time up to 2
years after emancipation from foster care were revealed. As the author reviewed the articles
generated by these searches, new search terms emerged. The author used these new search terms
to conduct additional searches. The writing process also revealed additional search terms the
author used to conduct new searches.
In the what if stage, the author considered what would happen if foster care alumni
started earning college credentials by asking questions such as, how would their lives be
different and how would communities change. The author invited the interviewees to imagine
such a future and asked them to articulate how they envisioned the future if we solved this
problem. The interviewees’ responses helped the author generate ideal components of the
solution. The author also introduced dual credit as a potential solution to the interviewees and
26

requested their feedback. Interviewees responded favorably to dual credit if it could be offered
without testing, grade, or prerequisite barriers. This emphasis on open access dual credit
narrowed the author’s program focus to those programs that could be offered without relying on
test scores, high school grades, or prerequisites as admission criteria.
For the what wows stage, the author relied heavily on professional experiences as a dual
credit administrator and the scholarship surrounding dual credit as a college access strategy. The
author currently administered a dual credit program that offered Level 1 certificate programs in
career and technical education fields. The students complete 15–30 credit hours during the high
school years and complete the Level 1 certificate before high school graduation. The author
considered what Level 1 certificate programs currently offered by LSCPA could be completed
by high school students and which of these led to entry level careers offering the best wages in
southeast Texas. The author asked the interviewees questions about the ways dual credit could
solve this problem. The interviewees spoke of things like acclimation to the college environment,
momentum, and experiencing success.
For the what works stage, the author shared the capstone proposal, prototype, and theory
of change with stakeholders. They provided feedback on the concept, the implementation, the
budget, the timeline, and the feasibility. The author used these opportunities to improve the
design. Additionally, sharing these documents with stakeholders outside of the author’s region
generated interest in the concept. At least one P.A.L. Coordinator outside of Region 5 wished to
work with author to implement Building Futures in their region. The Department of Family and
Protective Services’ Region 5 is an ideal market for this project as there are 200 youth aged 14–
18 in the region (Department of Family and Protective Services, n.d.) Public school districts are
interested in offering career and technical education courses for dual credit because LSCPA can
27

offer the courses tuition free if they are taught at the high school by qualified high school
teachers.
Building Futures would rely on Carl D. Perkins funding. See Appendix D for a copy of
the program budget. The author’s external design partner is the Carl D. Perkins grant
administrator at LSCPA. The budget would include an annual salary of $45,000 plus $13,5000 in
benefits for one success coach. In addition, $2,500 would be allotted for a desktop, a laptop, and
a printer. Carl D. Perkins funding would be used for marketing materials, printing, and incentives
up to $2,000 annually. The college would provide a telephone at no additional cost to the unit.
Mileage reimbursement of up to $3,000 annually would be provided by the existing Office of
Dual Credit Programs.
Building Futures assessment plan would measure the outcomes of the objectives
previously identified. The project would measure the number of foster care alumni who complete
an application to LSCPA and compare this number to the number of youth in Region 5. The
project would measure the number of foster care alumni who enroll in at least one college class.
This number would be compared against 13.5%, the number of Texas foster care alumni who
have enrolled in college (Watt & Faulkner, 2020). The project would measure the percentage of
foster care alumni who activated the Texas tuition waiver and compare it to 60%. This was the
percentage of students reported by Watt and Faulkner (2020) who used the Texas tuition waiver.
The project would measure the number of foster care alumni who earn at least 3 credit hours of
college credit in high school. The project would expect this number to increase each year of the
program. The project would measure the percentage of Building Futures foster care alumni who
complete a Level 1 certificate. The project’s goal is 50%. Beginning in the spring of Year 4, each
year’s percentage would be compared to 50%. Finally, the project would measure the percentage
28

of foster care alumni who work full time 1 year after program completion. This metric is already
being measured by the college for all career and technical education credential completers.
Stakeholder involvement and communications strategies are intertwined. Once hired, the
success coach will spend the 1st year building rapport with the stakeholders such as school
counselors, foster parents/caregivers, secondary foster care liaisons, the P.A.L. coordinator,
potential high school instructors, college employees, secondary career and technical education
directors, and foster care alumni. Communication strategies will include virtual and in person
meetings, stakeholder breakfasts, monthly foster care alumni meetings, community
presentations, campus tours, flyers, brochures, and emails. These are current communication
strategies being used by the Office of Dual Credit Programs.
Implementation Plan
Building Futures will be implemented on the campus of LSCPA, a public, 2-year college
in southeast Texas. Port Arthur, Texas is a rural community with a population of 56,000 (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2020). The median household income in 2020 was $37,794 (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2020). Twenty-six point seven percent of the population lived in poverty (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2020). The racial/ethnic distribution was 43% Caucasian, 42.2% African American,
32% Hispanic, 6.5% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander. Additionally, 4.1% of the population identified as a member of two or more
racial/ethnic communities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020).
Texas is divided into 11 regions for the administration of child welfare services. Each
county in the state is assigned to a region (Texas Department of Family and Protective Services,
n.d.). Port Arthur, Texas is located in Jefferson County. Jefferson County is one of 15 counties
assigned to Region 5. There are 200 foster care alumni aged 14–18 in Region 5 (Texas
29

Department of Family and Protective Services, n.d.). The racial/ethnic distribution of the foster
care alumni in Region 5 is slightly different than the racial/ethnic distribution of Port Arthur,
Texas. Caucasian foster care alumni accounted for 54% in 2023 (Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services, n.d.). Twenty percent of the foster care alumni identified as Hispanic.
African American foster care alumni totaled 17%. No foster care alumni were reported from
Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander communities. Nine percent
of the foster care alumni were reported as other. LSCPA has a service area agreement with two
other public, 2-year colleges in the area. All foster care alumni in Region 5 who are not
prohibited from participating by the service area agreement will be eligible to participate in
Building Futures.
The author applied the EPIS framework (i.e., exploration, preparation, implementation,
sustainment) to Building Futures (Moullin et al., 2019). In the exploration phase, the author
considered the needs of the community (i.e., more foster care alumni need postsecondary
credentials) and the potential fit of Building Futures. See Appendix E for the EPIS model. In the
preparation phase, the author considered how Building Futures could fit into the existing dual
credit programs at LSCPA and assessed the implementation challenges. The implementation
phase has not yet begun. During the implementation phase, the author would expect to conduct
the activities described in the logic model and learn what activities are the most productive and
which need to be refined. Finally, the sustainment phase is concerned with the stability and
longevity of Building Futures.
The budget for Building Futures was previously discussed (see Appendix D). A minimal
budget is needed to implement Building Futures. For less than $70,000, the program can operate
with one success coach. One success coach can reasonably support 100 foster care alumni. This
30

is half of the total high school aged foster care alumni. Each summer, additional Carl D. Perkins
funds can be requested if the amounts allocated to travel or printing/marketing/incentives is
insufficient. The amounts allocated to salary and benefits is aligned with the current salary and
benefits paid in similar positions. If LSPA provides universal salary increases, the success coach
would be eligible. The technology cost should be fixed. This amount should cover the cost of a
multifunction printer, a desktop computer and monitor, and a laptop computer. If additional
technology is required, such as a hotspot for connectivity in rural areas or a tablet for mobility,
those needs can be assessed at the end of the first fiscal year. At the beginning of Academic Year
4, the budget will be evaluated against program outcomes to determine if a second success coach
is needed. Program enrollment will determine the necessity for additional success coaches.
Building Futures will be assessed using social impact assessment tools. Social impact
assessment focuses on managing social issues at all stages of program implementation (Vanclay,
2019). These tools also help programs and policies demonstrate social value (Corvo et al., 2021).
See Appendix F for a copy of the assessment plan. Building Futures will be assessed annually
with mid-year updates on the following domains: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact,
and sustainability. Relevance refers to how well the objectives of Building Futures align with the
needs of the stakeholders. Effectiveness examines how well Building Futures achieves its
objectives. Efficiency considers the costs associated with meeting the objectives of Building
Futures. Impact uncovers the positive and negatives effects of Building Futures in the short term
and long term as well as considers if these effects are direct, indirect, intended, or unintended.
Finally, sustainability considers program continuation.
The prototype provides examples of stakeholder involvement (see Appendix C). In
addition to those activities described in the prototype, Building Futures will rely on existing
31

stakeholder engagement activities used by the Office of Dual Credit Programs. Currently, the
college hosts counselors and community stakeholders annually. Building Futures’ stakeholders
would be invited to this event. Additionally, the college produces a workbook for educators. This
workbook provides an overview of the college and is designed to be an easy-to-use guide for
helping students navigate LSCPA. The stakeholders would receive copies of this workbook.
Employees from the Office of Dual Credit Programs have membership on the career and
technical education advisory boards for several high schools. The employees can use those
memberships to engage stakeholders about Building Futures. Finally, the president of the college
sends holiday cards to college stakeholders each year. The director of Dual Credit Programs
reviews the list annually and is permitted to add dual credit partners to the list. Some of Building
Futures stakeholders are already on the holiday card list. Additional stakeholders can be added as
the institution engages with them.
Because Building Futures will be situated within an existing department at LSCPA, the
program will rely on some existing communication strategies in addition to the ones provided in
the prototype. The success coach will email school counselors and secondary foster care liaisons
about Building Futures. Personnel from the Office of Dual Credit programs will include
information about Building Futures in recruitment presentations. The success coach will also rely
on postal mailings. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services provides a list of
the congregate care facilities. The success coach can send flyers, the educators’ workbook,
invitations to events, and other materials to these facilities. Finally, once foster care alumni are
enrolled in the program, they will be asked for ideas about effective communication.
32

Challenges
There are minimal challenges associated with implementing Building Futures. First, the
financial investment is small. Less than $70,000 is required to launch the program. Once
launched, state appropriations to LSCPA based on enrollment will offset these costs. Second, the
program builds on the current scholarship around dual credit programs for students with risk
factors. Lee and Villarreal (2022) found when students with lower academic achievement
participated in dual credit programs, they were more likely to enroll in college after high school
graduation and more likely to earn credentials. Lee and Villarreal advocated for dual credit as a
mechanism for promoting educational opportunities for marginalized youth. Third, the outcomes
of Building Futures aligns with existing outcomes included in the college’s Carl D. Perkins grant
request.
There are two potential challenges to implementing Building Futures. The first is related
to the relationship development required for the successful implementation of the program. The
program requires the success coach be capable of building strong relationships with foster care
alumni and all stakeholders. This is particularly important because some of the stakeholders can
act as gatekeepers. As gatekeepers, they can prevent foster care alumni from participating in
Building Futures or impede participation by introducing obstacles or acting with indifference.
The second challenge is tied to the placement instability of foster care alumni. Foster care alumni
experience frequent changes in placement and school transfers (Ellis et al., 2021). Fortunately,
Building Futures will be implemented in a Department of Family and Protective Services service
region with many rural communities. In these rural communities, most of the school districts
only have one high school. A student could move anywhere in the county and still attend the
same school. Building Futures will also seek to minimize placement disruptions through
33

effective relationship building. If stakeholders are aware of the educational consequences of a
placement change during the academic year, the placement change can be delayed or alternative
placements within the same school district can be explored. Finally, if a placement change must
occur, the success coach will withdraw the student from the college class without penalty and
seek to enroll the student in one of the online Level 1 certificate programs. The success coach
would continue to support the student.
The principles of servant leadership will be applied to the implementation of Building
Futures. First, servant leadership was selected because it is most closely aligned with the leader’s
Myers-Briggs assessment results (16 Personalities, n.d.). The author’s Myers-Briggs type is INFJ
(introvert, intuitive, feeler, and judger). Individuals with this type are advocates, developers of
others, inspiring, and altruistic (16 Personalities, n.d.). Second, servant leadership most closely
aligns with the work the success coach will do both with students and with stakeholders. Servant
leaders focus on the needs of the followers (Eva et al., 2019). In Building Futures, the foster care
alumni will be the followers and the beneficiaries. The success coach will need to focus on
helping them to build social capital and empowerment. Once these needs are met, successful
completion of courses and credential will occur. Likewise, the stakeholders will be followers.
The success coach will empower stakeholders to better serve foster care alumni. The success
coach will also be a steward. Stewardship is a primary component of servant leadership (Eva et
al., 2019).
Ethical Consideration and Applying Design Justice Principles
The most important ethical consideration for Building Futures is familiarity with dual
credit programs. Students in dual credit programs are building two transcripts simultaneously.
Students are receiving high school credit and college credit for courses. The high school
34

transcript is more forgiving. For most high school students, after the initial postsecondary
admissions process, their high school transcript is never requested again. Students can forget
how well or how poorly they performed in high school. However, the college transcript has long
lasting consequences. Students may be asked to present copies of their college transcript for
transfer, graduate study, and employment even years after the college classes were completed
(Loveland, 2017). Thus, poor academic performance recorded on a college transcript may
unfairly negatively impact future opportunities for the student.
The Dual Credit Program at LSCPA recognizes this ethical dilemma and has
implemented practices to mitigate it for students. These practices would be applied to Building
Futures. First, the success coach will monitor student grades in courses. The Office of Dual
Credit Programs has access to the online gradebook for each dual credit course offered. The
success coach can use this access to predict academic challenges students may be facing. Second,
faculty report grades to the Office of Dual Credit Programs regularly throughout the semester.
The success coach can use these reports to identify students in jeopardy of failing a course.
Third, the director of Dual Credit Programs requests faculty provide a list of students who cannot
mathematically pass a course each semester. The list is used to coach students on withdrawing
from a course to avoid receiving an F on the transcript and impacting the student’s cumulative
grade point average. The coach would use the list in the same way. Fourth, LSPA has a generous
grade replacement policy. If a student retakes a course, the second grade replaces the first grade
in the student’s cumulative grade point average calculation. The success coach will use this
policy to help students who earned an F in a course instead of withdrawing.
There are 10 design justice principles (Design Justice Network, n.d.). The author used the
first five design principles to develop Building Futures. The first principle encourages design to
35

sustain, heal, empower, and liberate. Building Futures seeks to empower and liberate foster care
alumni by providing them with a pathway to achieving a postsecondary credential. Once in
possession of the credential, youth will be able to sustain their households; thus, alleviating their
poverty may provide them the opportunity to heal from past traumas.
The second principle requires the designer to center the voices of the program’s
beneficiaries (Design Justice Network, n.d.). The author sought feedback from foster care
alumni, interviewed former foster care alumni, surveyed foster care alumni, and observed foster
care alumni to place their voices in the center of the design. The third principle prioritizes impact
over intention. The author carefully considered the impact of Building Futures on foster care
alumni and on Region 5. The author minimized negative risks to program participants. The
fourth principle defines change as a process not an outcome of process. During the design
process, the author was accountable to stakeholders, open to feedback, and collaborated with
stakeholders. The fifth principle identifies the designer as a facilitator rather than an expert. The
author acted as a facilitator by asking questions and seeking to understand.
The second five design principles will be used to implement and sustain Building
Futures. The sixth principle affirms each individual is an expert on their experiences (Design
Justice Network, n.d.). Through the success coach, the program will learn more about the needs
and desires of the foster care alumni served by the program. These lessons will be incorporated
in the activities of the program. The seventh principle requires knowledge dissemination. The
author has already presented at a national conference on Building Futures with the P.A.L.
coordinator. As additional presentation opportunities arise, the success coach, the author, the
P.A.L. coordinator and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to share the lessons learned
and the outcomes achieved by Building Futures. The eighth principle encourages working
36

toward sustainable, community led, and community-controlled outcomes. The low-cost design of
Building Futures makes it sustainable. Once more foster care alumni enroll in and complete the
program, Building Futures will become community led and community controlled. Principle 9
requires nonexploitative solutions. Building Futures does not rely on volunteer labor and does
not exploit the time or talent of any individually. Finally, the 10th principle seeks to examine
what is already working. Building Futures honors the work of dual credit practitioners and
expands it to a new vulnerable population.
Conclusion and Implications
Once successfully implemented, Building Futures has the potential to change how
educators prepare foster care alumni for the transition to adulthood. Instead of encouraging
college after high school, students would complete college credentials in high school. These
credentials would prepare foster care alumni for work immediately upon emancipation,
eliminating many causes of anxiety. Building Futures can be easily implemented at any 2-year
college with a strong dual credit program. At colleges without vibrant dual credit programs,
Building Futures can be implemented if a change agent is willing to raise awareness and
cultivate a campus community committed to improving postsecondary outcomes for vulnerable
students. It is an inexpensive program that can be financed through existing federal Carl D.
Perkins funding. Texas has some facilitators that make implementing Building Futures in the
state advantageous. However, Building Futures is suitable to implementation in any state. Carl
D. Perkins funds can be used to pay tuition, even in states without a tuition waiver, because
foster care alumni are identified as a special population.
Building Futures is ready to welcome its first students for the Fall 2023 semester. Only
two tasks need to be completed. First, the author must submit a position request for the success
37

coach position. New Carl D. Perkins requests are submitted in the summer of each year. Second,
the author must recruit students. The author has already asked school counselors to identify
foster care alumni who can enroll in the fall. In addition, the author has asked the P.A.L.
coordinator to provide a list of students. Students will be invited to participate in Building
Futures from the two lists. No other steps need to be completed before launching the program.
Once the semester starts, the success coach will engage with stakeholders and implement the
communication strategies.
Educators can achieve equal opportunity and justice for foster care alumni in
postsecondary credential attainment by providing access to college in high school. Early access
allows these students to build their social capital as they work toward credentials leading to high
wage, high growth, high demand careers. Using what educators already know about dual credit
and its impact on vulnerable students and what they have learned from campus-based support
programs, they can build comprehensive support programs to meet the unique needs of high
school foster care alumni so they will be successful in these programs. Completing just one
course will allow foster care alumni to activate their Texas tuition waiver, improving waiver
usage and waive tuition at public colleges and universities in Texas for the lifetime of the
student. The opportunity to complete a postsecondary credential could have transformative
impacts on the educational and employment outcomes of foster care alumni (Hooker et al.,
2021).

38

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Who we reach What we do What we create
Participants Activities
Direct Products
What we invest
Increase career
awareness
Increase awareness of
dual credit
opportunities
Increase the number of
foster care alumni who
complete college
applications
50% of foster care
alumni in Region 5 earn
a level 1 certificate
within 4 years
Short Medium Long
Success Coach
Planning Time
Money
Expertise
Materials
Space
Technology
Partners
Foster care alumni
Foster parents/caregivers
School Counselors
Secondary foster care
liaisons
P.A.L. Coordinator
Potential high school
faculty
College employees
Conduct workshops and
meetings
Participate in
community events for
foster care alumni
Visit high schools
Host college campus
tours
Help students complete
college applications
Coaching and advising
Register students for
classes
Facilitate Texas tuition
waiver use
Promote project
Plans
Event Documents
Student Schedules
Student degree plans
Templates
Satisfaction
Community Networks
Increase the number
of middle school
aged foster care
alumni who wish to
participate in dual
credit
Increase the number
of youth who
activate Texas
tuition waiver
Increase the percentage
of foster care alumni
who activate the Texas
tuition waiver
Increase the percentage
of foster care alumni
who complete at least
three credit hours
Increase the number of
foster care alumni who
secure full-time
employment before
leaving care
Assumptions
1. Current solutions are at the wrong time
2. Foster care alumni should leave care ready for work
3. Stakeholders are supportive of this project
4. High school students are capable of completing college courses
5. High school and college can be combined
External Factors
1. Adequate Perkins funding
2. Ability to hire qualified success coach
3. Placement stability/access to youth
Priorities
1. Youth in grades 9 -11
2. Youth in Region 5
3. Youth in LSCPA’s
service area
Situation
Foster care alumni are not
graduating from high
school or college
Inputs Outputs Outcomes - Impact
Appendix A: Building Futures Logic Model
Secondary career and
technical education
directors
Social Capital
Activities
Impact:
When foster care alumni earn level 1 certificates in high wage, high demand, high growth career fields, they are able to earn a living wage, disrupt cycles of
poverty, and avoid other negative life outcomes.
Intermediate
Outcomes
Challenges
Immediate
Outcomes
Youth learn more about careers.
Youth expand their knowledge of
programs available via dual credit.
More middle school youth wish to
participate in dual credit
Youth know about college’s
programs.
College Knowledge
Youth activate Texas Tuition
waivers.
Youth are eligible to use waivers for
future postsecondary programs.
Texas Tuition Waiver
Youth complete college
applications.
Youth have college course taking
experience.
Youth see themselves as capable of
completing college.
Dual Credit
Participation
Youth earn at least 3 credit
hours.
Youth apply previous success to
future anticipated success.
College Course Completion
Youth practice job seeking skills.
Youth create job seeking documents.
Reaching students.
Rewriting scripts about who
should/could attend college.
Navigating the DFPS bureaucracy to
secure waivers.
Eligibility differences.
Student engagement.
Drops/withdrawals.
Textbooks/supplies.
Rapport with career coach.
Intrusiveness of career coach.
Drops/withdrawals.
Placement changes.
Employment
Problem statement:
Youth with foster care experiences (foster care alumni) complete high school and college at lower rates than their peers.
Assumptions:
Current solutions are at the wrong time
Foster care alumni should leave care ready for work
Stakeholders are supportive of this project
High school students are capable of successfully completing college courses
High school and college can be combined
College hosts summer career
exploration program.
Success coaching sessions.
Success coach helps students
receive waiver.
Office of Financial Aid documents
waiver usage.
Success coach helps students
navigate application, enrollment,
and registration processes.
Youth attempt a college class.
Youth experience successful course
completion.
Success coach regularly meets with
students.
Success coach monitors course
progress.
Transportation
Labor market shifts
Youth secure full time employment
within 3 months of high school
graduation.
Youth have access to community
resources to secure employment.
Success coach helps students
create job seeking documents.
Success coach helps students
practice interviewing skills.
Success coach helps students
locate openings.
Appendix B: Building Futures Theory of Change
Tip: Duplicate the table to repeat the exercise for another persona.
Exploration Recruitment Application Registration Texas Tuition Waiver Intake Coaching
The coach registers the student for classes
and/or verifies course registration
I select my program of study
I am curious about Better Futures
Ta'Mia
9th Grade
Welding Student
Access Journey Map
Emotions

Thoughts and
Attitudes
Coaching
Activities
Student Actions

The Success Coach will support foster care alumni participating in the Building Futures project through three phases - Access (activities related to enrolling in college),
Progress (activities related to persistence), and Success (activities related to completing the program and securing employment). This journey map will focus on access.
The coach helps students complete the
application to the college.
I complete and submit the application
I hear about Better Futures from my
Preparation for Adult Living (P.A.L.)
Coordinator, school counselor, friend, or
other adult member of my Circle of Support
I ask questions about the programs offered
and the jobs I could get after graduation
I read the literature provided and view the
website
The coach communicates registration to
student
I receive course registration confirmation
from my coach
The coach gathers additional
documents from high school
(immunization record, transcript, etc.)
I ask my coach questions
I request a tuition exemption approval letter
(Form 1810) from Department of Family and
Protective Services (DFPS) staff
The coach verifies student's eligibility for
Texas Tuition Waiver.
I submit tuition exemption approval letter
(Form 1810) to Office of Financial Aid
The coach notifies Office of Financial Aid of
student's desire to use waiver.
The coach verifies the waiver was received.
The coach verifies student's degree plan and
shares course sequence with student.
The coach introduces student to Coordinator for
Special Populations.
The coach introduces student to Coordinator for
Disability Services if needed.
The coach enrolls student in mentoring program.
I meet with the coach.
I verify my degree plan.
I connect with campus resources.
I am excited about becoming a
welder
I am worried about being a college
student
I am overwhelmed by all of the questions
on this application
I am frustrated by the process of setting
up my profile
I am excited to get my schedule
I am nervous about taking these classes
I am frustrated by the process of getting
the waiver
I am worried I will not be approved for the
waiver
I am happy about all of the resources the
college offers
I am confident I am in the right degree plan
for me
The coach recruits students via the
following activities: P.A.L. events',
mailings, community events, Court
Appointed Special Advocate
(CASA)/Counselor events, campus
tours, high school visits
The coach provides students with
literature/media about degree program
and careers
I set up my username and password
The coach helps the student log into their
MyLSCPA account
I attend a career exploration
event at the college
I learn about careers I had not
considered
The coach delivers an event
allowing students to
experience welding, learn
from welders, and imagine
the lifestyles they could live
as a welder
I am curious about careers
I am excited about becoming a
welder
I am excited about finishing the
application
Appendix C: Prototype
Ta'Mia
9th Grade
Welding Student
Tip: Duplicate the table to repeat the exercise for another persona.
Semester Start
Success
Coaching
Midterm Prep Final Exam Prep Degree Progress
Progress Journey Map
Emotions

Thoughts and
Attitudes
Coaching
Activities
Student Actions

The Success Coach will support foster care alumni participating in the Building Futures project through three phases - Access (activities related to enrolling in college), Progress (activities related to
persistence), and Success (activities related to completing the program and securing employment). This journey map will focus on progress. This journey will be repeated each semester the student is enrolled.
I attend my classes on the first day
The coach sends students a first day of
the semester welcome message.
The coach schedules a meeting with
students the first week of the
semester.
I am excited to start the semester
I am nervous about my courses
I attend weekly meetings with my
success coach
I share any concerns or challenges I
am having with my success coach
I celebrate my wins with my
success coach
I plan for midterm exams/projects with
my success coach
I plan for final exams/projects with my
success coach
I connect with campus resources.
I connect with campus resources.
I review my degree plan with my success
coach
I make adjustments to my degree plan with my
success coach
The coach meets with students each
week to discuss progress
The coach connects students with
other campus resources (library,
tutoring, etc.) if students need them
The coach helps students develop
learning strategies
The coach helps students create
midterm study plans
The coach helps students monitor
grades
The coach helps students plan for the
remainder of the semester
The coach helps students create final exam
study plans
The coach reviews degree plan with student
The coach makes suggestions for adjusting
degree plan
The coach schedules alternative/repeated
classes as needed
The coach reviews student's transcript
The coach makes adjustments to student's
schedule for next semester if needed
I am reassured my success coach is
here to help
I am confident I can do this
I am worried about my upcoming midterm
exams
I am stressed about midterm exams
I am confident I can execute the plan my
success coach and I developed
I am worried about my upcoming final exams
I am stressed about final exams
I am confident I can execute the plan my
success coach and I developed
I am excited to see the credits I have earned
I am hopeful about next semester
Appendix C: Prototype
Ta'Mia
9th Grade
Welding Student
Tip: Duplicate the table to repeat the exercise for another persona.
Career Search
Resume Writing and
Applications
Interview Prep Graduation Application
Ta'Mia
9th Grade
Welding Student
Success Journey Map
I learn about searching for welding jobs
I search for jobs with my success coach
I make a list of what is important to me in a job
I review sample resumes, cover letters, and
applications with my success coach
I draft cover letters, a resume, and applications for
entry level welding jobs
I receive feedback on my draft documents from
professionals
I learn about the types of interviews and how to
prepare for each
I practice each type of interview with my success
coach
I create responses to common interview questions
I review my degree plan with my success coach
I complete the application for graduation
I participate in commencement
The coach prepares a list of local openings for entry level
welding positions
The coach contacts companies employing welders to
gather information about the most successful candidates
The coach connects the student to the Workforce
Employment Commission so the student has a community
job search connection
The coach prepares sample resumes and cover
letters matching the student's experience level
The coach helps the student draft and revise cover
letters, resumes, and applications
The coach introduces the student to professionals
who can evaluate the student's documents
The coach sets up mock interviews for the student
with college personnel and community partners
The coach records an interview with the student and
provides feedback
The coach helps the student select interview attire
The coach reviews the student's degree plan with the
student
The coach helps the student complete the
application for graduation
The coach helps the student secure regalia for
commencement
I am excited to look for welding jobs
I am nervous about looking for work
I am confident I can do this
I am confident I can do this
I am confident I can do this
I am confused about the process of applying
for a job
I am relieved my success coach can help
I am overwhelmed by the interviewing process
I am anxious to show potential employers I can do
the job
I am excited to apply for graduation
I am proud of my accomplishments
Emotions

Thoughts and
Attitudes
Coaching
Activities
Student Actions

The Success Coach will support foster care alumni participating in the Building Futures project through three phases - Access (activities related to enrolling in college), Progress (activities related to
persistence), and Success (activities related to completing the program and securing employment). This journey map will focus on success.
Appendix C: Prototype
Appendix D: Design Criteria
CAPSTONE DESIGN DESIGN JUSTIFICATION
Element Description/Explanation Why did you make this choice?
"Elevator Pitch" - Describe
your Capstone Project in
basic terms
You pitch should address who, what,
when, where, why, and how.
Elements with asterisks below are
likely to appear in your elevator pitch,
but not all of the elements below
should be included. Be sure to
include the most important elements
to understanding your idea.
Foster care alumni are not graduating from high school or college. Building Futures
will address the problem of low postsecondary credential attainment by enrolling
students in career and technical education courses at Lamar State College Port
Arthur for dual credit in the high school years with support from a dedicated success
coach.
Desired impact* (big goal &
specifics)
What is the impact you want your
Capstone Project to have? In other
words, which behavior by whom are
you intending to change for what
objective(s) and what evidence would
demonstrate your success?
50% of foster care alumni in Region 5 will earn a level 1 certificate within 4 years of
initial course enrollment.
ACTORS
User*
Who will use your Capstone Project?
Foster care alumni
Foster parents/caregivers
School counselors
Secondary foster care liaisons
P.A.L. Coordinator
Potential high school faculty
College employees
Secondary career and technical education directors
Beneficiary(ies)*
Who is the Capstone Projects mainly
intended to help? Foster care alumni
Possible Gatekeepers
High school counselors
Foster parents/caregivers
Who controls access to delivery
channels or vital resources? Whose
approvals might you want/need?
College employees
DFPS employees
Community agency employees
Disrupted Entities/Actors
Who or what organizations will be
displaced (i.e. lose money, power, or
their job) as a result of your Capstone
Project?
Workforce Solutions
Transition Centers
Case Managers
Circles of Support
Competitors
Who else is offering similar
product/services?
Universities
Workforce Solutions
High School CTE Programs
CAPSTONE PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS
Describe below each element of your offering. Make sure the Approaches, Format, and Content sections provide sufficient detail to understand your Capstone Project.
Not all elements may be included in your design, in which case you may want to explain why not.
Approaches*
What research-based practices,
methodologies, techniques, models,
frameworks, or other approaches will
be employed?
Dual credit helps students make a successful transition to postsecondary education
by providing students with college level coursework, secure financing, and a web of
support. Building Futures will utilize dual credit to provide students with access to
college level course work in career and technical education pathways. The Texas
tuition waiver will provide financing for the courses for the students. The web of
support will be provided by the success coach and other stakeholders.
Format*
What form will the Capstone Project
take? How will it be structured or
offered?
Dual credit pathways leading to level 1 certificates connected to high wage, high
demand, high growth careers in Southeast Texas will be offered to foster care alumni
in Region 5 eligible for enrollment at Lamar State College Port Arthur on their high
school campuses, online, and at the college’s campus.
Content
Will specific information be shared?
The foster care alumni will receive course content related to the level 1 certificate
program the student enrolls in.
Additionally, other stakeholders will receive content about Building Futures:
• What level 1 certificates are available
• What formats/modalities are available
• What courses are required for completion
• What careers are available to students who complete the level 1 certificate
• What are the salaries associated with the careers
• Who can participate
• What are the costs associated with participation
• How is the program funded
• How long will completion take
Appendix D: Design Criteria
Cadence*
How often will the Capstone Project
be administered?
Students can enroll in Building Futures each semester (spring and fall), each summer
session, and each short session (May Mini and Winter Mini).
Incentives*
What tangible and/or intangible
rewards will people get for
participating?
Foster care alumni will:
• Earn high school credit
• Earn college credit
• Earn level 1 certificates
• Activate their Texas tuition waivers
Technology*
What technologies might it employ?
How will they be used?
The college’s existing technologies will be used for Building Futures.
• Program information will be published to the college’s website
• An online application system will be used
• Student records will be managed using the college’s student management
software
• Degree progress will be tracked using the college’s degree audit software
• Foster care alumni will use the college’s technology platforms as students

Processes*
What processes might it employ?
How will they be used?
• Students will be recruited from events, high schools, transition centers, by
P.A.L. Coordinator, by case managers, by secondary foster care liaisons, by
foster parents, and other postsecondary recruitment methods
• A success coach will help students navigate college enrollment and course
registration
• A success coach will provide intrusive advising/coaching to students
through the program
Mindsets /Culture
What mindsets/culture will you
integrate or activate?
• Every child in foster care is college material
• Every child in foster care can learn
• Every child in foster care needs a postsecondary credential before leaving
care
• Higher education needs to change to meet the needs of foster care alumni
Delivery system/method
Where/how will the Capstone
Project be delivered to its recipients?
• Instruction will be delivered on high school campuses, online, and at the
college’s campus
• Recruitment will be delivered in person, virtually, and via mail
• Support will be delivered in person and virtually
Delivery channels (For
Scale)
What delivery systems or channels
will you use to scale your idea?
• Professional Conferences and scholarly publications
• National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships
• Summit for Dual Credit Programs
• College in High School Network
• Education Reach for All Texans
Appendix D: Design Criteria
• College Career Readiness School Models
Measurement/metrics
How will we know the Capstone
Project is working? How will success
be assessed/measure? (specific
metrics). Will any particular
assessments will be used? Over what
time frame?
• Building Futures will use the following measures/metrics to assess the
program. The program will be assessed annually with mid-year updates.
o career awareness
o awareness of dual credit opportunities
o the number of middle school aged foster care alumni who wish to
participate in dual credit
o the number of youth who activate Texas tuition waiver
o number of foster care alumni who complete college applications
o the percentage of foster care alumni who activate the Texas tuition
waiver
o the percentage of foster care alumni who complete at least three
credit hours
o percentage of foster care alumni in Region 5 earn a level 1
certificate within 4 years
o the number of foster care alumni who secure full-time employment
before leaving care
Cost drivers
What elements will be most likely to
drive the cost of developing or
delivering your Capstone Project?
• Salaries and benefits
• Travel expenses
• Technology expenses
• Supplies
• Printing/Marketing/Incentives
Resources
What resources do you need to
develop this idea? Not just money
but what other ingredients are
needed to make this work?
• Committed people
• Carl D. Perkins funding
DESIGN SWOT
Strengths
What are the strengths of this
concept?
• Builds on existing dual credit programs
• Utilizes current stakeholder relationships
• Utilizes expertise of Director of Dual Credit Programs
Weaknesses
What are the weaknesses of this
concept?
• Dependent on success coach
• Dependent on cooperation from stakeholders
Appendix D: Design Criteria
Opportunities
What external/systemic elements
might this Capstone Project
capitalize on?
• Texas tuition waiver
• Carl D. Perkins funding
• House Bill 8 tuition waiver for students who receive free or reduced-price
school lunch
• Texas State University System tuition waiver for Career and Technical
Education courses taught at a high school by a high school faculty
• Population is currently ignored by Early College High School and Pathways
in Technology Early College High School blueprints
Threats
What external/systemic elements
might impede success?
• Apathy
• Labor market shifts
• Complicated Texas tuition waiver activation process
• Texas tuition waiver eligibility
Appendix D: Design Criteria
Appendix E: E.P.I.S. for Building Futures
Exploration
Outer Context
• Texas tuition waiver
• Shared Data Set
• Foster care liaisons
• Carl D. Perkins
• House Bill 8
Inner Context
• Desire to grow dual
credit
• Carl D. Perkins goals
• Little employee
involvement
• Low-cost option
Preparation
Outer Context
• Carl D. Perkins
• House Bill 8
• Texas tuition waiver
• Preparation for Adult
Living (P.A.L.)
Coordinator support
Inner Context
• Dean of Technical and
Academic studies
support
• Availability and
suitability of success
coach
Implementation
Outer Context
• No Texas policy
mandating program
implementation
• No higher education
policy supporting dual
credit for foster care
alumni
• Carl D. Perkins
• Texas tuition waiver
• Legislature champions
Inner Context
• Negative attitudes
toward additional
initiatives
• Office of Dual Credit
programs has limited
ability to influence
organizational change
• Carl D. Perkins
Sustainment
Outer Context
• Carl D. Perkins
• House Bill 8
• Texas tuition waiver
• Preparation for Adult
Living (P.A.L.)
Coordinator support
Inner Context
• Enrollment results
• Carl D. Perkins
Appendix F: Building Futures Line-Item Budget
Expenses Amount
Success Coach Salary $45,000
Success Coach Benefits $13,500
Travel $3,000
Technology $2,500
Supplies $1,000
Printing/Marketing/Incentives $2,000
Total Expenses $67,000
Appendix G: Assessment Plan for Building Futures
Impact Measurement
Category
Measurement Artifacts Evaluation and Comparison
Dual Credit Knowledge Survey foster care alumni in
Region 5
Survey results Compare foster care alumni
knowledge of dual credit each
semester
Target: 50% or better will
indicate on the survey they
know about dual credit
Dual Credit Participation Record the number of foster
care alumni from Region 5 who
enroll in a dual credit course
Student information system
reports; degree audits; high
school reports; Preparation for
Adult Living Coordinator
reports
Compare foster care alumni
participation in dual credit to
prior semester’s participation
Target: 10% increase each
semester
College Application
Completion
Record the number of foster
care alumni from Region 5 who
complete an application to
Lamar State College Port
Arthur
Data reports from application
system; student information
system reports
Compare the number of college
applications completed by
foster care alumni to prior
semester’s application
completion numbers
Target: 10% increase each
semester
College Class Enrollment Record the number of foster
care alumni from Region 5 who
enroll in a college course
Student information system
reports; class rosters
Compare the number of foster
care alumni enrolled in a
college class after the census
date each semester to prior
semester’s enrollment
Target: 10% increase each
semester
Texas Tuition Waiver
Activation
Record the number of Building
Futures participants who
activate Texas tuition waiver
Office of Financial Aid reports;
Department of Family and
Protective Services Reports
Compare the number of
participants who used the Texas
tuition waiver against the total
number of participants in
Building Futures
Target: 60% or better
College Credit Completion Record the number of Building
Futures participants who
complete college courses with a
letter grade of A, B, or C
Degree audits; student
information system reports;
grade reports
Compare the number of
participants who earn a letter
grade of A, B, or C to the
number of participants who
earn a D, W, or F
Target: 50% or better
Credential Completion Record the number of
credentials awarded to Building
Futures participants at the end
of each semester
Student information system
reports; graduation coordinator
report
Compare the number of
credentials awarded to Building
Futures participants each
semester to the number of
Building Futures participants
initially enrolled four years
prior
Target: 50% or better
Full-time Employment Record the number of Building
Futures participants who secure
full-time employment
Student surveys Compare the number of
participants who secure full-
time employment
Target: 100%
Appendix G: Assessment Plan for Building Futures
Appendix H: Stakeholder Engagement
Collaborate
• Partner with P.A.L.
Coordinator; school
counselors; case managers,
CASA volunteers, foster
parents/caregivers; foster
care alumni
Consult
• Continue conversations with
Prepartion for Adult Living
(P.A.L.) Coordinator
• Hold conversations with
school counselors about
Building Futures
Advocate
• Seek invitations to present
Building Futuresto school
district personnel at
professional development
workshops
• Present Building Futures to
foster care alumni at montly
meetings
• Invite foster care alumni to
campus
Message
• Email stakeholders about
Building Futures
• Invite stakeholders to
participate in information
sessions
• Present Building Futures at
conferences
Monitor
• Ask stakeholders questions
about the needs of foster care
alumni
• Review outcomes for foster
care alumni
Appendix I: Building Futures Communication Plan
Audience: Foster care alumni
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
• Presentations at monthly meetings
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
• Weekly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Audience: Preparation for
Adult Living (P.A.L.)
Coordinator
Message Type
• Email
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Audience: School Counselors
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
• Annual Breakfast
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Audience: Foster
parents/caregivers
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Appendix I: Building Futures Communication Plan
Audience: Secondary
Fostercare Liaisons
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
• Presentations
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Audience: Potential High
School Faculty
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
• Presentations
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Appendix I: Building Futures Communication Plan
Audience: Secondary career
and technical education
directors
Message Type
• Email
• Postal Mail
• Presentations
Schedule
• Annually
• Each Semester
• Monthly
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Audience: College
employees
Message Type
• Email
• Presentations
Schedule
• Annually
• As Needed
Message Source
• Director of Dual Credit Programs
• Building Futures Success Coach
Appendix I: Building Futures Communication Plan

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Youth with foster care experiences (i.e., foster care alumni) have poor educational attainment outcomes (Texas Education Agency, 2021). These poor outcomes compound earlier disadvantages and have individual and collective consequences. Annually, approximately 20,000 youth are emancipated from foster care in the United States (National Youth in Transition Database, 2023). Only 75% reported receiving a high school diploma or GED by 21 and 4% reported completing a postsecondary credential. Meanwhile, by 21 only 55% reported part-time or full-time employment, 44% experienced homelessness at some point after leaving care, and 31% received public assistance. This situated the problem of poor educational attainment for foster care alumni within the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s Grand Challenge to achieve equal opportunity and justice. To explore this problem and develop a solution, Liedtka and Ogilvie’s (2011) methodology presented in Designing for Growth was used. The methodology outlines 15 steps to create innovative solutions for challenging social problems. Based on this methodology, a dual credit solution was proposed. Dual credit and early college high school models have potential to improve postsecondary credential attainment outcomes for foster care alumni. Changing these educational outcomes can lead to better employment opportunities, lower instances of homelessness, and decreased use of public assistance (National Youth in Transition Database, 2023). New solutions like introducing foster youth to postsecondary education during high school instead of after emancipation should be cooperatively explored.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Billups, Hilda M. (author)

Core Title Building futures

School Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Degree Doctor of Social Work

Degree Program Social Work

Degree Conferral Date 2023-08

Publication Date 07/27/2023

Defense Date 07/25/2023

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag College,dual credit,dual enrollment,foster care,foster care alumni,Higher education,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Wiley, June (committee chair), Newmyer, Richard (committee member)

Creator Email hbillups@usc.edu,hildambillups@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113290628

Unique identifier UC113290628

Identifier etd-BillupsHil-12159.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-BillupsHil-12159

Document Type Capstone project

Rights Billups, Hilda M.

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20230728-usctheses-batch-1075 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu