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Erin George
Mr. Merritt
VTfT II-3B
21 March 2014
Family Life and Education
In the past few decades, family life has been drastically changing. Most families living in
one home are not the typical mother, father, and children; divorce rates are at an all-time high,
and the splitting up of parents really affects a child in more ways than one, including in their
education. Research that has been conducted over the past twenty years shows that children
perform better when raised by both of their biological parents and the marriage has low conflict.
Four out of ten children experience divorce before they reach adulthood, and if that divorce
happens while they are a young child, it greatly affects their behavior and how they perform in
the classroom (Parke). This type of behavior among children with divorced and single parents is
not just in the United States, but all over the world. Studies show that children in North Province,
South Africa have lower standardized test scores when living in a home without a father, and
preschoolers in northeastern Brazil without a father present had significantly lower cognitive
performance. Also, in urban Peru, children living with both parents had better overall grades than
children of other broken families, such as divorced or remarried parents (Scott). It is very clear
that the situation of a family greatly affects the outcome of the children.
Divorce affects children in many complex ways. It disrupts the stable home life and can
diminish the capability to learn and broken families tend to move around more which leads to
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academic, behavioral, and emotional problems. Very young children tend to be more susceptible
to having these difficulties (Fagan). The relationship the child has with the parent that he or she
lives with can also affect the way he or she performs in school. In some countries, such as in
Sub-Saharan Africa, children are more likely to succeed in their education in a household headed
by a woman than in in a two-parent household. But on the flip side of that, some mothers are not
able to provide emotional support to their children and may be burdened by financial and
emotional strains and are unable to balance family and work responsibilities, thus leaving the
child to struggle in school and everyday life (Scott). Single parenthood is more common in
African American and Hispanic households, yet the percentage of white children and African
American children living with single or step-parents is relatively close - twenty-eight percent for
whites and thirty percent for African Americans, while Hispanics are at forty-nine percent.
Twenty-five percent of children with divorced parents are likely to have psychological,
emotional, and social problems compared to ten percent of children with two-parent households
(Parke). Divorce is a serious issue concerning children and how it affects them, and the rates of
divorce are climbing each year, as are rates of adults having children out of wedlock, leaving the
children with broken families.
The stakeholders in situations of divorced families would be the teachers of the student,
the family, and school counselors. The issue affects teachers because it can sometimes be
difficult to teach a child who is going through turmoil with his family. Maybe at the childs
mothers house, he has set rules and a bed time and she frequently helps him with his homework,
but at his fathers house, there are fewer rules, homework is either done late at night or not at all,
and his bed time is later than at his mothers. All of these positive situations from his mother and
negative situations from his father affect the child the next day in school. Of course the families
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are involved because it is the families that are changing for the child. Most children that live in
step-parent households have at one point in time lived in a single parent household, thus leaving
the children in an unstable living environment with educational and emotional problems (Parke).
School counselors are stakeholders because sometimes the child needs extra help outside of the
home, someone to talk to, listen to his problems, and help him stay on the positive path he was
on before. In more rare cases, the child may actually have a learning disability, and teachers may
believe it to be effects from the divorce, and it may not be seriously diagnosed until a year or two
later (St. Clair). It is important that the family of the child helps him through this difficult time
and that the teachers of the child are aware of the family situation at home so they will be able to
understand why the child may be struggling. And if the problems with the childs learning
continue to persist months or even years after the divorce, he may need to be evaluated by a
school psychologist for a more serious problem.
The matter of children with divorced parents can really affect the students in my
classroom, my cooperating teacher, and me. Over half of the students in my class have divorced
parents; the issue is vast. Some of the children act differently on different days, and my
cooperating teacher and I recognize it as their being with different parents the night before. Some
students may even act out because they are crying out for attention, which is common with
children of divorced parents. A child may even perform differently on a test if he had stayed with
his father the night before as opposed to his mother. Even the means of transportation vary every
day for the child because his parents live in different areas, and that can render making lasting
friendships and disrupt consistency from a day to day basis. A child may even forget homework
or folders at his mothers house because he was picked up by his father the previous night. My
cooperating teacher has said she sees the difference in grades and even behavior among children
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who have divorced parents and those who do not, and it is important that we recognize this issue
in the childs life to help him receive the best education he can.
There are not too many solutions to this problem because the child cannot control
whether or not his parents decide to get divorced. But, like stated previously, the child can
receive help from a school counselor or school psychologist or even outside help (St. Clair).
There are sometimes even seminars and information sessions available to parents about how to
help their children succeed in school after a divorce. The most important thing though is that the
children continue to get love and support from both parents and that their lives remain as
consistent as possible after the divorce, especially if they are younger children.
To implement these solutions in the classroom, it is a good idea to have a strong
relationship with the childs parents. If the parents feel comfortable with the teacher, then they
will know that they can contact the teacher at any time if they feel their child is struggling in
school because of changing family situations at home. If my cooperating teacher or I see the
child continue to struggle academically or even still have behavioral problems awhile after the
divorce takes place, we would recommend they see a counselor or psychologist because we want
each student to get the best education and receive any help he may need when it comes to
learning.
Every child has a different family situation and it is not a good idea to lump children
together in a certain category based on one similarity with their home life. By focusing on each
individual student and their needs in the classroom, we can help them succeed in their education
and make sure they continue to succeed throughout their lives.

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Works Cited
Fagan, Patrick F., and Robert Rector. "THE GROWTH OF DIVORCE." The Effects of Divorce
on America-Peacemaker Ministries. N.p., 5 June 2000. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
Parke, Mary. "Are Married Parents Really Better for Children? What Research Says About the
Effects of Family Structure on Child Well-Being." CLASP: Center for Law and Social
Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.
Scott, Mindy E., Laurie F. DeRose, Laura H. Lippman, and Elizabeth Cook. "World Family Map
2013." World Family Map 2013. Annie E. Casey Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
St. Clair, Jessica. "DivorceWizards.com." The Effects of Divorce on Children and Education.
N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.