Family demographics in the United States have experienced changes in recent decades. The changes have included an increase in the divorce rate and the occurrence of births to unwed mothers. An increase also has occurred in the number of children being raised by one adoptive or biological parent. Some researchers contend that being raised in homes with only one adoptive or biological parent results in an adverse effect for student school outcomes. Researchers have proposed that future studies, such as this one, be focused upon substantiating the findings of past studies and exploring the ramifications of the changing demographics. A primary focus of this study has been the influence of gender arrangements between parents and children when they have been raised by one adoptive or biological parent in comparison with other children who have been raised by two married adoptive or biological parents. The relationship between these gender arrangements and the students' participation in and completion of postsecondary education has been studied. Two phases have been used to conduct this study. In Phase 1, t tests have been used to seek out descriptive statistics regarding female and male children who have been raised by one adoptive or biological father or mother compared to children who have been raised in homes of two married adoptive or biological parents. Significant group differences were found in all ten Phase 1 outcomes. In Phase 2, this study sought, using four logistic regression models, to determine if the GenArr variable, one created by the researcher to represent variations in children's gender arrangements at home, was a significant predictor of the primary outcome variables of postsecondary education participation and completion. Phase 2 logistic regression models included the following control variables: attendance patterns, behaviors, grade point averages, high school completion rates, income, learning confidence, parent/child communications, and pa (open full item for complete abstract)

This doctoral study investigated the role of the school when a family dissolves as perceived by parents, educators, and social service professionals. Perceptions of the most effective supports and the most appropriate services a school can provide children experiencing parental divorce are reported for each of the three. The principal instrument used to gather data was a 15-item questionnaire developed by the researcher. Data analysis of survey items was completed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Follow-up interviews were conducted with two members of each survey respondent group to obtain more in-depth responses to the survey questions. All respondent groups agreed that there is a role for the school when a family dissolves as a result of parental divorce. All respondents agreed that individual counseling and regular meetings with the school counselor are very effective supports and are very appropriate services for schools to offer children. Respondents also agreed that the teacher plays an important role in providing effective support and appropriate services to children experiencing parental divorce and that peer counseling was an effective support and an appropriate service for these children. Clearly, support for schools to assume a role in the vent of family dissolution exists among the three groups, although there are differences in the effectiveness and appropriateness assigned to certain strategies by the various groups. Better communication and collaboration among the groups would enhance the provision of effective supports and appropriate services in schools to children experiencing parental divorce.

Research informs us that parental involvement and support enhances student academic achievement. Title I guidelines require parental participation in planning programs. The need to gain parental perspectives has become a challenge for school administrators and teachers. This research serves the goal of gaining parental participation and collecting the perceptions of parents whose children participate in federal sponsored programs such as Title I, National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Collaboration with a social service agency, offering services to parents in a specified region, was key to meeting the goals of this project. The collaboration fostered a connection with a social worker that could provide recruitment strategies and facilitate the focus groups in that she already had an existing relationship with parents whose children received services from federal school related programs. Results from the focus group interviews have provided feedback on how programs are viewed by clients and how school administrators can improve those programs.