Intra-year Household Income Dynamics and Adolescent School Behavior
West Coast Poverty Center, December 2015
Students whose families experience significant income instability are more likely to fall behind in school and have disciplinary issues, according to a new report from the West Coast Poverty Center. Intra-year Household Income Dynamics and Adolescent School Behavior finds that when a family’s income sharply increases or decreases, children are more likely to be disengaged at school. The findings suggest that income shocks affect children in most households, but that low-income and minority students are most vulnerable. The authors argue that parental stress resulting from income instability may translate into less effective parenting behaviors, resulting in children’s declining school engagement.