Fostering Higher Education

Fostering Higher Education (FHE) is a postsecondary access and retention intervention for youth in foster care. It was developed through funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). FHE takes place from late junior year of high school (or while in a GED program) through the first semester or two quarters of postsecondary education. FHE bridges the transition from high school/GED to postsecondary education – a crucial feature many other programs do not provide. There are three primary components of the FHE intervention. Components 1 and 2 are implemented by an educational advocate, while Component 3 is implemented by a mentor coordinator. All three of the intervention components are guided by two important principles: a strong focus on intentional relationship building, and motivational interviewing (MI).

Component 1: Education Goal Planning and Action procedure is to support youth in identifying and completing the steps they need to take to reach their goals of enrolling in and completing a postsecondary program. This process is composed of three core elements: (1) identifying goals, (2) creating a To-Do list for each goal, and (3) identifying the student’s strengths and planning around potential obstacles that might hurt progress. This process occurs one to two times per month for the full extent of the intervention.

Component 2: Top 6 Potential Pitfalls for Higher Education curriculum addresses common challenges that, according to scientific research, (American College Health Association, 2014; Courtney et al., 2011; Salazar, 2012) are most likely to have a negative impact on students’ academic performance and achievement. These include (1) sleep, (2) physical health/ getting sick, (3) mental health/ stress, (4) family/ friend/ relationship challenges, (5) alcohol and drugs, and (6) financial challenges. The curriculum includes a module for each pitfall that (1) explains “Big Picture” science-based information about why it is a potential pitfall, (2) assesses where the student is doing in relation to this potential pitfall, and (3) provides the student with personalized feedback based on their assessment and discusses potential next steps. Youth receive this curriculum twice – once prior to a postsecondary program, and once after they have begun a postsecondary program.

Component 3: Mentoring. Students are paired with a postsecondary-experienced mentor (either a natural or community-based mentor). Mentor-mentee pairs will meet at least once per month for the full extent of the intervention, and at least twice a month during the first 2 months. Activities will be chosen by the pair and fall into five categories: academic-focused, extracurriculars/ postsecondary integration, social support, career exploration, and fun. Mentor-mentee pairs will also be grouped with other pairs to create mentor groups that participate in a once-every-other-month activity to help youth grow their social networks with other postsecondary-interested foster youth and adults.