US Dept of Education
While there is no federal program specifically for students in foster care, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) oversees the foster care provisions of ESSA, the SEA points of contact, and the federal reporting requirements that apply to SEAs and LEAs receiving Title I funds. More information can be found here.
State Education Agency
Each state education agency (SEA) is responsible for collecting required data from LEAs (local education agencies), monitoring compliance with reporting requirements, and sending aggregated data to ED. SEAs should collaborate with their state child welfare agency partners to share data on education outcomes and work toward robust bi-directional state data exchange. They should also support LEAs to facilitate data exchanges with local child welfare agencies.
Local Education Agencies/School Districts
LEAs/schools districts receiving Title I funds are required to d report on certain data elements. To comply with the educational stability provisions of ESSA , LEAs need to know which students are in foster care. LEAs also should know which students are in foster care and who their Education Decision-Makers are to successfully meet their educational and special educational needs