Home Life May Affect Children’s Ability to Learn

 Posted on October 27, 2014 in Divorce

When a family is experiencing difficulty, very often the focus turns to the well-being of any children involved. Parents are likely concerned with how children cope with such situations and the chances they will emerge from such huge life changes relatively unscathed. While much evidence suggests that kids who go through their parents’ divorce can deal with the event successfully, certain factors, such as stability and support, must be in place in order to give them the best chances at doing so. In other situations, a difficult home life may directly contribute to challenges children face in their everyday lives, as is pointed out by a recently published article.

A New Approach

One area that may be significantly impacted when children are experiencing problems at home is in their learning at school. These problems can include anything from a parent’s unemployment, to violence, a marital separation or divorce. Each of these scenarios create unstable home environments that lead to challenges for children at home. Often, kids who are living under such circumstances have upsetting feelings about them which they may struggle with and which affects their behavior, therefore affecting their school day.

Some communities are meeting these challenges head-on by establishing community schools, a type of educational setting that also allows for students and their parents to take advantage of social services at the facility. These schools were created based on the notion that even the most advanced and well-equipped schools will not provide a good learning environment if students are struggling with issues at home.

Community Schools

At community schools, teachers and faculty work to identify the source of a student’s poor behavior or outbursts and work together with the family to connect them with services in order to alleviate some of the trouble at home. The concept has been around for a number of years but is only recently gaining popularity as a holistic approach to education.

It is important that the approach be seen as an overall strategy and not a program. While many cities across the U.S. seemingly have plans to establish community schools, each one will likely be unique in order to best respond to the needs of the particular community in which it is located. While the primary focus will be on the students, the schools will also have a broader reach into the community. What is more, the studies done on such schools look promising, with a noted reduction in absenteeism and improved grades and test scores.

Child Custody and Support Attorney

Child custody and support matters call for the attention of a professional. The experienced Wheaton family law attorneys at the Davi Law Group, LLC have successfully represented clients in these types of matters. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to discuss your case. We have offices located in Wheaton, Warrenville, and Chicago.