“The direction in which a man's education begins will determine his future in life” (Plato). Plato's assessment was correct, because the importance of learning allows individuals to use their potential optimally. The foster care system can hinder children’s academic success. This disability can accompany these children beyond the school world and into the professional world. Today, seventy percent of teens leaving foster care say they want to attend college, but fewer than fifty percent graduate from high school. Fewer than twenty percent of those who graduate from high school actually enroll in college, and of those, fewer than three percent earn a degree. After emancipation, fifty percent are unemployed, forty percent are on public assistance, twenty-five percent become homeless, and twenty percent are incarcerated at least once (effect assessment). Constant movement from one facility to another leads to a lack of stability and consistency in the lives of children in care. This lack of stability can result in poor academic performance. To achieve higher graduation rates, educational institutions should work to facilitate the educational dreams of foster children. Thus, Riverside City College (RCC) can enable children in foster care to achieve higher levels of academic achievement by offering priority enrollment as it does for the disabled, military, and veterans. On January 25, 2011, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, highlighted the importance of higher education during his State of the Union address; urging more Americans to obtain college degrees (Browne). Higher education can lead to prestigious careers, higher salaries, and overall serves as a gateway to better life opportunities...... middle of paper ......21." San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate CommunicationsInc., January 7, 2011. Web, February 5, 2011. Governor of California, Building California Construction Careers - Home, February 5, 2011. "Emancipating Foster Youth: A Compilation of Statistics." Every Child Foundation, May 2006. Web. February 4, 2011. "Plato Quote - The direction in which a man's education begins will determine his future life..." Famous Quotes and Inspirational Quotes from Wisdom! Shimotsu, Susan "The fate of AB 12 is uncertain at. deadline approaches." USCAnnenberg., September 29, 2009. Web.. 2011.