1 This chapter examines what we know about the disparity in postsecondary educational attainment between youth in foster care and their non-foster care peers, the reasons for it, and the policies and programs that have been developed toaddress that disparity. It also discusses the unique role that community colleges can play in reducing this disparity. Improving the Postsecondary Educational Attainment of Youth in Foster Care Amy Dworsky A college education is no less important to youth in foster care than to their non-foster care peers, but there continues to be a wide gap in postsecondary educational attainment between the two groups. This chapter begins with a summary of the research on the postsecondary educational attainment of youth in foster care. Next, it examines some of the reasons for the disparity in postsecondary educational attainment between youth in foster care and their non-foster care peers. These reasons are followed by a brief review of some of the policies and programs that have been developed to reduce this disparity. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the unique role that community colleges can play in improving the postsecondary educational outcomes of youth in foster care. Demographic Characteristics and Foster Care Histories of Transition Age Youth On September 30, 2015, 66,105 young people ages 16 and older in the United States were in foster care (Children’s Bureau, 2016). Some of these young people will be reunifed with family, adopted, or placed with a legal guardian, but between 20 and 30 thousand 18- to 21-year-olds age out of foster care each year without a permanent home. These young people are disproportionately youth of color from low-income families, and most came to the attention of the child welfare system after being neglected or abused. Despite these similarities, they are a heterogeneous group with respect to their experiences while in foster care (e.g., age at entry, number and types of placements, and service receipt). NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, no. 181, Spring 2018  2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/cc.20287 11