Education Insight: Lifting the Academics of Foster Kids

About This Episode

Season 6. Episode 8.

In this episode of Education Insight, we sit down with Amanda Corridan, Chief Academic Officer for the Riverside County Office of Education, to explore the heart and purpose behind the Foster Youth Success Initiative.

Amanda oversees this countywide effort designed to ensure that foster youth stay in school and thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. She explains what the initiative does, why it’s needed now more than ever, and how it’s changing the narrative for young people who have faced some of life’s toughest challenges.

Listeners will hear about the real obstacles foster youth face in the classroom, from frequent school transitions to emotional trauma, and how Riverside County is equipping teachers, counselors, and caregivers with the tools and training to better support them. Amanda also shares inspiring stories of students who have turned their educational journeys around with the help of this initiative.

Beyond academics, the conversation highlights the importance of mental health and community collaboration. Showing how schools, social services, and local organizations are coming together to give foster youth the stability and confidence they need to plan for college, careers, and adulthood.

🎧 Tune in to learn how Riverside County’s Foster Youth Success Initiative is helping students move from surviving to thriving, and why their success matters to us all.

Featured Guest