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“When judges ask questions, people
get answers”
Judge Connie Cohen—who taught public school for 12 years before going into law—has long told school-age youth in her court: “Your job is to go to school and give it your best effort.”
But when her Model Court in Des Moines, Iowa, field-tested the Checklist and she handed it out to all stakeholders, she saw almost immediate changes—in her own practice and in others’ work and case planning.
“Word gets out that education matters,” she reports. “The Checklist puts everyone on notice, and they start giving me information in advance. My orders include requirements such as ‘child shall bring report card into court.’ When judges ask questions, people get answers.”
Asking—and listening to—young people
Judge Cohen has expanded her own inquiry to include emphasizing extracurricular activities and talents—a topic strongly endorsed by focus groups of young adults formerly in foster care who reviewed the Checklist.
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Judge Connie Cohen
5th Judicial District of Iowa
"Education is such a magnet of opportunity to allow a child who's lost control of life to really succeed in something they control. We need to let them know it's important to them and to us." |
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When asked by the judge about things they excel in and enjoy, young people’s faces light up.
“It’s valuable for all stakeholders to see that,” reports the National Council’s Sophie Gatowski, project lead for the review and field testing of the Checklist.
Judge Cohen agrees: “They need to be asked: ‘How can we help?’ If nothing’s ever asked about, we can miss opportunities to pick up the thread to positive experiences that keep them committed to school.”
Collaborating in and outside the courtroom
In Arizona, Judge Cuneo is also using the Checklist as a collaborative tool.
She’s active in a Pima County Juvenile Court committee that brings together multiple community stakeholders to improve educational outcomes for court-involved youth.
“We’ve adapted TeamChild’s education advocacy manual to fit Arizona statutes and developed a Pima County education resource guide to help parents advocate for kids’ education,” she reports.
On the horizon: a proposal to use specially trained CASA volunteers as education ombudsmen who can help Child Protective Services and families solve school problems together.
Making education a priority
Judge Cohen has high hopes for the Checklist.
Ten years ago, she says, a breakout session about the educational needs of youth in foster care wouldn’t count for continuing education credit at a judicial conference. Now it does.
“We’re building awareness,” Judge Cohen says. “I’m excited that education’s on the radar screens of judges.”
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