California (USA): New research conducted indicates that living in a married two-parent household is a key factor in a student¹s academic success, but there are ways that single parents can narrow the gap.

In a speech before the Centers for Disease Control of the Department of Health and Human Services, William Jeynes, professor at California State University at Long Beach and a nonresident scholar at Baylor University, shared that the farther away from a two biological parent family structure, the greater the risk for the child. The negative impact includes lower math, science, reading and social studies scores, as well as lower overall grade point average.

Jeynes, who also is an Assemblies of God minister, found students who don¹t have two parents in the home are more likely to become addicted to marijuana and cocaine, to consume alcohol and to become a single teenage parent. The study found pupils in two-parent married homes do better than those living in a home where divorce, cohabitation or a never married single parent exists.

Jeynes says a mom or dad can take steps to mitigate the effects of the other biological parent being absent. “Two of the primary ways to overcome the disadvantages of coming from nontraditional family structures are via parental involvement and being a family of faith,” Jeynes told World View. “If the child is a Christian, about half of the academic disadvantage of coming from a non-intact family disappears.”

Parents also can help reduce achievement gaps by setting high expectations, maintaining a high level of communication and involving other loving adults in the child¹s life, according to Jeynes. “Children learn best in a home atmosphere that provides love and a reasonable degree of structure,” he says.

(Source:Pentecostal Evangel)