Family Structure and School Grades

At creation, God instituted the family to be the place where all human beings are born, nurtured, loved, and brought to physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity. In God’s good order and design, children will flourish best in a loving home where there is a father married to a mother. In the world of family research, this is known as an intact family. Recently, the Institute for Family Studies released a report regarding the differences in educational achievement between children from intact homes and those from non-intact homes. Researchers found that students from non-intact families have three-times the risk of suspension and double the risk of being held back a grade as those from married, biological families. This does not mean that students from non-traditional families cannot do well in school. But we are reminded that pursuing and living into God’s good design for marriage and family yields good things. Parents, commit yourself to your marriage, as the vows say, for better or for worse.