TO WHAT EXTENT CAN THE SCHOOL REDUCE THE GAPS BETWEEN CHILDREN RAISED BY DIVORCED AND INTACT FAMILIES

This study deals with the extent and conditions under which the school can compensate children for the deficit in parental investment due to the divorce of their parents. Pair matched samples of one- and two-parent children from seven elementary schools, located near Tel Aviv, Israel, are compared. Children raised by divorced mothers in regular schools turned out to have lower scholastic achievements as well as lower popularity (among peers) than children raised in intact families. However when the same comparison was carried out in an experimental school having an extended school day and student participation, most of these differences disappeared. Some implications of these findings for educational policy are discussed. © 1991 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.