Better Futures
Better Futures Project Overview
The Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) has partnered with the Washington State University on The Better Futures Project. The Better Futures Project is an evidence-based program intended to match adolescents and young adults in foster care with near-peer mentors to work towards post-secondary success and achievement. TXICFW will hire, train, and support peer coaches who will work closely with young people in foster care to help further skill development that will be critical for post-secondary success.
Project Background
Better Futures is a year-long higher education access program for youth with foster care experience that includes a Summer Institute, coaching, and workshops. This research study is being done to test whether the Better Futures program helps improve higher education access and success for youth with foster care experience.
Youth who take part in this study will be placed into one of two groups randomly. Group One will receive the usual services offered by the local child welfare system. Group Two will participate in the Better Futures program. Those in Group 2 will attend a 3-day, 2-night Summer Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, and then during the academic year 9-10 months, will participate in one-on-one coaching sessions twice a month and five group skill-building workshops held every other month. These activities will focus on helping the youth learn about and prepare for applying to and attending higher education. Program activities will occur either at The University of Texas at Austin, or in a community location such as a library.
After the program ends, researchers will compare survey data as well as higher education admissions and enrollment data to determine how Better Futures programming impacted higher education enrollment and success.
Interested in learning more about the Better Futures Project?