Helping The School Cope With Children Of Divorce

Prior to 1976, there was no systematic research reported regarding the impact of divorce on school age children- the largest group affected by divorce. It has since been established and widely accepted that school age children of divorce are considered a population at risk. The school is an excellent potential resource for these children at risk. Children of divorce may manifest problems at school while none is observable in the home setting. Parents, therefore, cannot be relied upon to always identify problems resulting from the divorce. School personnel, and especially teachers who have the most contact with the students, need to be aware of the common problems associated withdivorceseenwithin theschoolsetting and how to intervene. The effects of learning and school performance, peer relationships, relationships with teachers and other adult school personnel will be explored and literature cited to clarify the educational and social effects of divorce as seen within theschool. Intervention methods will be proposed.