Reply to Segregation in DC schools - charter lottery doesn't help much

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Reply to "Segregation in DC schools - charter lottery doesn't help much"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Usually at risk kids are placed in schools through social services or guardians ad litum, not parents. And I'm pretty sure they can be and are placed without the lottery, at least in some cases, through the Student Placement Office.[/quote]

Most at risk kids live with their parents, not in foster care. At risk is kids who get SNAP or TANF, are in foster care, are homeless, or are in high school and at least a year older than their grade would indicate.  There are over 30,000 of them according to http://atriskfunds.ourdcschools.org/

There are over 11,000 kids on DC TANF. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/resource/tanf-caseload-data-2015
There are about 2000 homeless children. http://www.mwcog.org/store/item.asp?PUBLICATION_ID=189
There are about 144,000 people in DC who get SNAP and nationwide, about half of SNAP recipients are kids. http://www.dchunger.org/fedfoodprogs/foodstamps/food_stamps.htm, http://www.feedingamerica.org/take-action/advocate/federal-hunger-relief-programs/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program.html

There are only about 1000 kids in out-of-home foster care (and care goes up to age 21 so not all are school-aged) http://cfsa.dc.gov/service/become-foster-or-adoptive-parent

Some of these numbers are a couple years old and there is probably overlap--a kid who is homeless is very likely also getting SNAP and TANF.  But most at-risk kids are not at all involved in foster care and if their parents don't enter them in the lottery (or go to a non-lottery charter) and they aren't in a special ed placement (DCPS/charter/private) they are probably going to their in-bound school.

Of those in foster care, some foster parents are really good advocates for their kids and some are not.  Some will enter the lottery or try to get them into good schools, and some will keep them where they're at (continuity is important) or where it's convenient.  A sizable percentage of DC foster kids are actually placed in Maryland.  There are almost no foster parents in-bounds for high-scoring DCPS schools. Some foster kids are in private school placements due to disabilities.[/quote]

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