Education Reach for Texans generates original research and translates research into policy and practice recommendations. The Research Committee is a group of researchers across Texas who are working on various projects related to foster care and higher education.

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Members
Christine Norton, Chair
Texas State University

Dana Booker
TexProtects

Sheila Bustillos
Texas Women's University

Monica Faulkner
The University of Texas at Austin

Elissa Madden
Baylor University

​Megan Piel
The University of Texas at San Antonio

Toni Watt
​Texas State University

Current research

•  Foster Care Higher Education Liaison Logic Model
• Foster Care Higher Education Liaison Best Practices/Outcomes
• Process Barriers to Pursuing Higher Education
• Tuition and Fee Waiver Utilization and Outcomes
• K-12 Foster Care Liaison Survey Research
• Trauma-Informed Care in Campus Support Programs
• Adventure-Based Group Work to Promote Social Connectedness Among Foster Youth in Higher Education

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Publications
Geiger, J. M., Piel, M. H., Day, A., & Schelbe, L. (2018). A descriptive analysis of programs serving foster care alumni in higher education: Challenges and opportunities. Children and Youth Services Review, 85, 287-294.
 
Watt, T., Faulkner, M., Bustillos, S., & Madden, E. (2018). Foster Care Alumni and Higher Education: A Descriptive Study of Post-secondary Achievements of Foster Youth in Texas. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1-10.
 
Watt, T., Kim, S., & Garrison, K. (2018). The Relationship between State Supports and Post-Secondary Enrollment among Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: An Analysis of the National Youth in Transition Database. Child Welfare, 96(3).