Some foster children have developed crucial survival skills and exhibit minimal behavior and adjustment problems. Others, perhaps the majority, demonstrate the effects of past neglect and abuse, grief over separation from their biological family, and the trauma of frequent placement changes. Repeated school transfers force foster children to adjust to different learning environments. Because some foster families include several children of different ages, and parents' attention may be divided, schools need to design responsive programs to involve parents. To help foster children feel welcome in the new school, administrators need a specific plan for enrolling and integrating them, possibly on short notice.
Foster children respond especially well to praise, but many perform below grade level.
Frequently, they must assume responsibility for children with little notice and while they are all in the throes of grief. Children residing with relatives need most of the same services from schools and social service agencies as do other foster children. Since grandparents can benefit especially from programs that free them temporarily from caregiving responsibilities, it would be helpful for schools to collect and provide information about after-school, weekend, and summer activities for children. To promote the positive development of all students, and especially those with nontraditional families, it is crucial for schools to establish high universal performance standards, celebrate family diversity, and extend equal respect and support to all members of the school community. Some specific ways schools can support students from nontraditional families are discussed below.