One State’s Attempt to Build a Foster Care-to-College Pipeline

On this week’s episode we are joined by Toni Watt, a sociology professor at Texas State University of San Marcos, who has worked diligently along with others to help foster youth in the state get to college and get a degree. 

A recent landscape analysis, which Watt was part of, shows that those efforts have yet to yield the kind of changes anyone would hope for out of a state with a broad tuition waiver and a requirement that state colleges have a liaison on campus to support current and former foster youth. Watt discussed the history of Texas policies around college for foster youth, and what she thinks needs to happen next. 

Toni Watt is a Professor of Sociology at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where she helped create the group Foster Care Alumni Creating Educational Success (FACES). She is the recipient of the Pro Humanitate Literary Award, given by the Center for Child Welfare Policy.

Reading Room

From Foster Care to College: Supporting Higher Education Achievement among Students Who Have Experienced Foster Care in Texas
https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/reports/reports-and-studies-non-fiscal/from-foster-care-to-college-2026-landscape-analysis/

Texas is a Pioneer in Supporting Youth with Foster Care Experience in Higher Education, but Outcomes Remain Poor. A New Report Examines Why.
https://imprintnews.org/opinion/texas-supports-college-students-from-foster-care-but-outcomes-remain-poor/276831

Foster Youth Support Services Required, but Uneven, Across Texas Campuses
https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/foster-youth-support-services-required-uneven-texas-campuses/48493

Texas Expands College Tuition Benefit for Foster Youth
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/texas-lawmakers-to-decide-on-expanding-college-tuition-benefit-for-foster-youth/260655

Texas Foster Youth Get Free College Tuition, but Nearly Half of the State’s Eligible Students Don’t Use It
https://imprintnews.org/foster-care/texas-college-tuition-waiver-underused/62905