School performance is almost always affected by the divorce of one’s parents.
While it is not an easy time for you as a divorcee, it is important not only yo help yourself through this process, but be there for your child and provide the support they need. This will not only help them at home, but most definitely assist them in school.
Statistics Around Divorce And Its Impact On School Performance
Some studies have shown that students with parents who divorced:
- Have lower GPAs
- Are more likely to repeat a grade
- Have lower comprehension skills
- Are prone to have behavior issues at school
- Are less likely to attend, and graduate, university
Some studies done at UCLA and other Berkeley show that children of divorced parents were 6 percent less likely than children of non-divorced parents to finish high school and 15 percent less likely to finish college
Actually, studies show that socio-economic stability, and an emotionally stable environment at home, has more to do with academic success than divorce rates. While divorce often causes temporary impediments in a child’s academic journey, an emotionally healthy and supportive household allows children to recover if they fall behind.
Misbehavior or the gradual dropping of a student’s grades at school is a very common response to emotional distress.
if the divorce was unexpected, make sure to spend extra care with your child, as this is one of the most dramatic factors affecting a child’s school performance.
Concentration and Focus
The after-effects of divorce are an ever-continuing wave of trouble. Not only is a child losing the safety of parents who live together and a familiar home environment, but many children have to move to a new home, make new friends, or make an array of other changes that they might not be prepared for. A child’s school performance is severely affected by their decline in focus and concentration.
Children may outwardly resent and punish you
If academics are important for you and you express that, your children may use academic stagnation, anti-social behavior at school, or unhealthy peer interaction to get revenge on you. Although it is ultimately a call for help, sometimes these things aren’t addressed or approached because the parent is also going through a tough time, but they should be handled carefully if it isn’t fixed in a reasonable amount of time.
How to Help
Telling the school of your divorce can be vital in helping your child and their school performance. The teacher’s awareness of your child’s experience can help your child as they adjust to their new reality. There is no need to go this alone, and working with the school is one of the best ways to support the child.
SupportPay wishes to highlight these things as they can be vital to a professional in improving school performance and helping grow the base of child literacy.