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Children are often caught in the crossfire of a divorce, and separation results can wreak havoc on a child’s academic performance and behavior at school. In fact, as expert counselor asserts, “Children exposed to divorce are twice as likely to repeat a grade and five times likelier to be expelled or suspended from school.”

Researchers have found that many children experience behavioral changes in the immediate months after a divorce. Subsequently, divorcing parents can help their children maintain their performance in public schools by understanding these issues.

This video explains how divorce impacts children's mental health.

What Happens to Children after a Divorce

In the months following a divorce, children tend to demonstrate more disobedient, less affectionate, and more demanding behaviors. As children carry their personal problems from home into their school atmosphere, some of the changes seen in their school behavior include:

• Withdrawal
• Dependency
• Inattention
• Unhappiness
• Reduced work ethic and effort
• Increased acts of violence
• Physical boundary problems

Due to the dramatic upheaval in a child’s environment, divorce can impact students in an array of grade levels and at various ages.

Preventing Long-Term Problems: Public School Resources for Family Support

Studies show that over half of the reported divorces in the United States involve children and/or teens. Subsequently, Early School Years argues, “It is important to remember that divorce does affect children, and it’s

The consequences for school fights may no longer be limited to a visit to the principal’s office and detention. In light of the last decade’s rise in school violence, many students find themselves facing legal consequences for their misbehavior on campus.

In years past, school fights and bullying would only result in school-based punishments, such as suspension or detention. Today, however, a rising number of middle school and high school teens are being arrested for their in-school malfeasances.

School Fights: The Rising Threat

Public schools nationwide report more severe punishments for school fights and student misbehavior. For example, of Wake County, North Carolina, reported that three students were arrested after several fights erupted at the Knightdale High School. According to reports, the police were called to the school after multiple fights broke out among students.

Allegedly, one 16-year-old student and another 17-year-old student were engaged in crimes such as “disorderly conduct” and “simple affray,” resulting in the two students’ arrests. In addition, an older 18-year-old student was also arrested, as this particular student allegedly tried to join in the fight, and reports also suggest that the 18-year-old student “Took a swing at an officer who was trying to detain him.”

While students 18 and older are understandably tried as adults, many community members question whether the 16 and 17-year-old students should have been similarly reprimanded, as they are technically minors.

This video discusses how to deal with fighting in

Police officers are commonly seen in high schools and many middle schools, but is the trend now spreading to our public elementary schools? Indeed, some school and police leaders are working to increase the number of officer positions in public schools—regardless of the age range of the school’s students.

Increasing Police Presence in Public Schools

While the title “school resource officer” may sound unfamiliar to those who graduated from high school more than 10 years ago, positions for police officers in schools are quite commonplace today. As explains, School Resource Officers (SROs) have been appearing in schools across the country at steadily rising rates in recent years.

Ideally, the SROs are available to help provide leadership examples for all students on campus; however, their influence in the schools can certainly have an impact that extends beyond these intentions. SROs are usually hired and paid by the local police force (not by the local schools), and subsequently, many believe that “The presence of these officers shapes the school social climate and students’ legal socialization.”

Interestingly, however, some high schools have reported an increase in student misbehaviors after officers have been assigned to the campus. Subsequently, many elementary school leaders are experimenting with SROs in the hopes that “legal socialization” at an early age can help prevent behavior problems in the middle and high school years. These proponents believe that teaching elementary students the benefits of law enforcement professionals will translate into

Did you know that student dropout rates are still continuing to rise in some of the United States' most populated areas? According to , America's Promise Alliance reveals that in many urban areas, approximately half of public school students do not earn their high school diplomas. This report further found that 17 of the nation's 50 largest cities have graduation rates below 50 percent. Among the lowest cities are Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland. In examining this crisis on a larger spectrum, only 70 percent of the United States' high school students graduate on schedule each year, and 1.2 million students opt to drop out of school each year. Although the current dropout epidemic is bleak, some school leaders have fortunately found programs to help transform their negative graduation rates.

This video reports on America's dropout epidemic.

Solving the Country's Educational Crisis

In response to the grim dropout statistics, the United States former Secretary of State Colin Powell stated “When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it's more than a problem, it's a catastrophe.” Powell's wife, Alma Powell, further elaborated on the importance of high school education – arguing that public schools prepare individuals for higher education, new challenges, and issues that extend far beyond a classroom.

To address the many problems associated with this crisis, Colin and Alma Powell have created the Chair