Examined educational competence and predictors of reading ability among 152 Illinois foster children, ages 16 and 17. Found that 34 percent had been placed in special education and 20 percent had dropped out of school in the preceding 2 years. Also found that aspiration for higher education, placement in kinship care, participation in extracurricular activities, and illegal drug use accounted for 39 percent of variance in reading ability. (Author/KB)