HOW CAN FATHERS OR SIGNIFICANT MALE ROLE MODELS IMPACT THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS?

Written by
Michael A. Robinson

Education: The Natural Bridge (ETNB) spoke with several African and Latino American men to get their response to the question: How can fathers or significant male role models impact the academic achievement of students?

Mr. Neftali Ortiz, Parent Liaison with Prince George's County Public Schools, the 18th largest school district in the United States was eager to discuss his views on the role men and significant male role models play in the lives of children.

This is a very interesting question. I would like to answer the question by taking a look at the entire family. First, it is important to know that research has shown there is a strong rela­tionship between parental influences and children's educational outcomes, ranging from school readiness to college completion. There are two reasons for that, according to Academic Success Begins at Home: How Children Can Succeed in School:

1. family structure, how many parents live at home and the relation they have with their children
2. Parents' involvement in their children's schoolwork.

The solution to improve academic achievement in our students begins at home. How can we do that? This can be accomplished through strengthening the family, by having strong marriages and increased parental involvement. Studies have shown that children raised in families, with two con­tinuously married parents, tend to fare better on a number of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes than children living in other family forms. That means if our kids have a father figure at home (Not just the mother as customary) our children would do better at school.

Multiple studies have suggested when parents read to children it improves their literacy development. Toddlers and preschool-age children in married-parent families are read to more often than peers living with just one parent. Children are living with mom and dad on average have higher reading test scores than kids living with just one parent.

According to Academic Success Begins at Home: How Children Can Succeed in School. Children ages three to 12 living in intact fam­ilies have higher average math scores than their peers where the mothers lives in a cohabiting relationship. Children ages six to 11 residing in an intact fami­ly environment tend to be more engaged in their school work than peers in other family structures.

As we can see having both a father and a mother figure, in other words having a stable marriage will help our kids do better in school, which in time will translate into a better life for our kids.