Foster Care & Student Success
Foster Care & Student Success is a key initiative within the Texas Education Agency’s Highly Mobile and At-Risk (HMAR) Unit, part of the Office of Special Populations & Student Supports. This program is dedicated to advancing the educational outcomes of students impacted by foster care across Texas public schools.
We provide comprehensive resources, guidance, and professional learning opportunities tailored to the unique needs of students in foster care. Our goal is to ensure that every student in the foster care system receives the support they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Foster Care & Student Success Professional Learning & Support Opportunities
Foster Care & Education Webinar & State Office Hour
Our webinars offer timely updates, expert insights, and best practices to help educators, administrators, and support staff better serve students in foster care. These sessions are designed to build capacity and foster collaboration across the state. For a comprehensive, printable PDF listing of all HMAR program webinars and professional development opportunities for the 2025–26 school year, please visit the HMAR webinar webpage.
Coordinated Care: Points of Contact and Principles for Foster Youth Success
Texas is dedicated to ensuring that students in foster care have the support they need to succeed academically and beyond. Central to this commitment is a strong foundation of cross-system collaboration between education agencies, child welfare professionals, and community partners. At the heart of these efforts are designated foster care points of contact at the local and regional levels, who play a vital role in coordinating services, removing barriers, and advocating for student success. This section highlights the key players, collaborative strategies, and guiding principles that drive Texas’s approach to supporting students in foster care.
School System Foster Care Liaisons
Each school district and open-enrollment charter school in Texas is required to appoint at least one employee to act as a Foster Care Liaison. Both districts and open-enrollment charter schools must submit their Foster Care Liaison's name and contact information to TEA.
Liaison Duties
- Facilitate the enrollment in or transfer to a public or open-enrollment charter school of any child in the district or area served by the charter school who is in the conservatorship of the state (TEC §33.904).
- Advocate for the needs of students in foster care.
- Coordinate with various school personnel and departments to ensure the required supports, practices, and best-practice strategies for serving students in foster care are implemented within School Systems.
- May coordinate with the Title I director, transportation director, McKinney-Vento Homeless liaison, dropout prevention/at-risk coordinator, special education staff, and other federal program staff to coordinate ESSA and other requirements for students in foster care within their School Systems.
- May coordinate with individual campuses, community services agencies, caregivers, local colleges, and advocates involved with the child welfare system.
See Chapter Five of the Foster Care & Student Success Resource Guide for more information on Foster Care Liaison duties.
Foster Care Liaison Contact Information
School Systems must submit Foster Care Liaison contact information to TEA through AskTED. AskTED is a real-time public database where each school district and charter school's foster care liaison is listed.
- Districts must submit their liaison information to TEA through the district’s AskTED administrator.
- For charter schools, please complete the All-In-One Charter Update Form for any AskTED updates. More information can be found here for Charter Schools.
- Include your liaison’s name, email address, and phone and fax numbers. This information will be added to the AskTED directory.
School Systems should review this information annually. Contact your district's AskTED administer or TEA's Charter School Division immediately if there are any changes.
You can view and download foster care liaison information in AskTED. Information is available by district, region, and county. For step-by-step instructions with pictures of how to view and download a current list of foster care liaisons in AskTED, please follow the guidelines for how to find the foster care liaison contact information in AskTED (PDF)
Every ESC has voluntarily designated an ESC Foster Care Champion to serve as a point of contact on foster care matters within their respective region. ESCs offer professional development courses and some may host collaborative forums and joint trainings with child welfare partners, known as Education Consortiums. Contact your local ESC to learn about opportunities, trainings, and supports that may be available or are currently being developed to address the education of students in foster care.
ESC Foster Care Champion contact information is maintained in AskTED. For step-by-step instructions with pictures of how to view and download a current list of foster care liaisons in AskTED, please follow the guidelines for how to find the foster care liaison contact information in AskTED (PDF). The contact information of Foster Care Champions is also available here: ESC Foster Care Champions (PDF)
Each of the 11 Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regions has a least one Education Specialist. These specialists act a liaisons between DFPS and local schools and School Systems within their region. The Regional Education Specialist is an excellent contact for building partnerships with the community and local child welfare system. Regional Education Specialists also serve as the point of contact for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Contact your DFPS Regional Education Specialist for assistance with:
Education best-interest decisions
Transportation
Dispute resolution
Cross-system coordination needs, trainings, and requirements
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
See Chapter 4 of the Foster Care and Student Success Resource Guide for more information on Regional Education Specialists and the Child Welfare system.
Find your region below for your representative.
Collaboration between the education and child welfare system is an important component to improve the education outcomes of students who experience foster care. The federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (PDF) encourages coordination between education and child welfare.
The guiding principles below assist in guidance of successful collaborative and coordinated efforts amongst education, child welfare and community partners:
Guiding Principle # 1: Children and youth in care are entitled to remain in the same school when feasible.
Guiding Principle # 2: Children and youth in care experience seamless transitions between schools.
Guiding Principle # 3: Young children in care receive services and interventions to be ready to learn.
Guiding Principle # 4: Children and youth in care have the opportunity and support to fully participate in all developmentally appropriate activities and all aspects of the education experience.
Guiding Principle # 5: Children and youth in care have supports to prevent school dropout, truancy, and disciplinary actions, and to reengage in the education experience.
Guiding Principle # 6: Children and youth in care are involved, empowered, and prepared to self-advocate in all aspects of their education.
Guiding Principle # 7: Children and youth in care have consistent adult support to advocate for and make education decisions.
Guiding Principle # 8: Children and youth in care have support to enter and complete post-secondary education.
Texas is committed to improving educational outcomes for students in foster care through strategic, cross-system collaboration.
State-led initiatives bring together education, child welfare, and community partners to ensure that students in foster care receive the support they need to thrive academically. Explore the key programs and partnerships driving this important work below.
Texas Blueprint Implementation Task Force
The Texas Education Agency actively participates in the Texas Blueprint Implementation Task Force, a collaborative initiative focused on improving educational outcomes for students in foster care. This task force is organized into three multidisciplinary teams that work together to address key priorities:
- School Stability – Ensuring students in foster care experience minimal disruption to their education.
- Training and Resources – Equipping educators and child welfare professionals with the tools and knowledge they need.
- Data and Accountability – Enhancing data sharing and analysis to inform decision-making and track progress.
These teams are implementing targeted strategies and recommendations from the Texas Blueprint, a comprehensive plan designed to support the academic success of students in foster care.
The Texas Blueprint: A Roadmap for Educational Success
The Texas Blueprint is a landmark, collaborative initiative designed to transform educational outcomes for children and youth in foster care. Launched in 2010 by an order from the Supreme Court of Texas, the initiative established the Education Committee under the Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families (Children’s Commission).
This high-level committee—comprising leaders from the courts, education, and child welfare—brought together over 100 stakeholders for an 18-month effort of listening, learning, and problem-solving. The result: a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at improving the educational journey of students in foster care.
Core Focus Areas
- School Readiness
- School Stability and Transitions
- School Experience
- Postsecondary Education
The committee reached consensus on a wide range of recommendations, including:
- Enhancements to daily practices
- Policy changes in education and child welfare
- Legal reforms to support student success
These recommendations promote cross-system collaboration, data sharing, and multidisciplinary training—laying the foundation for long-term, systemic change.
The final report, The Texas Blueprint: Transforming Education Outcomes for Children & Youth in Foster Care, was submitted to the Supreme Court of Texas on May 3, 2012.
🔗 Visit the Texas Blueprint website for more information and access to valuable foster care and education resources.
Texas Trio: Strengthening Connections Across Systems
As a result of the collaborative leadership of the Children’s Commission Education Committee, Texas was selected as one of ten sites nationwide to receive a 17-month federal demonstration grant from the Children’s Bureau: Child Welfare – Education System Collaboration to Increase Educational Stability. This grant supported the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in deepening its partnership with the Children’s Commission and the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Together, these three agencies—often referred to as the Texas Trio—worked to:
- Build cross-system capacity
- Strengthen collaboration between courts, child welfare, and education
- Advance strategies that promote educational stability for students in foster care
The Texas Trio continues to serve as a model for how integrated efforts can lead to meaningful improvements in the educational experiences and outcomes of youth in foster care.