New report highlights key role of fathers in children’s academic, emotional success

A new report underscores what many have known for generations – the presence of a father in the home plays a crucial role in a child’s academic and emotional success.

The report, “Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids: The Importance of Fatherhood in Virginia,” was authored by scholars from the University of Virginia, the American Enterprise Institute, the American Institute for Boys and Men, and other institutions.

Though focused on Virginia, the report’s findings have national implications. Key conclusions include:

• Boys and girls with involved fathers “get better grades, are less likely to have their parents contacted about behavioral or learning problems at school, and are less likely to be depressed.”
• Children with less involved fathers experience twice as many issues in school and are 3.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
• Both white and black children tend to perform better academically and avoid disciplinary issues when a father is present.

The report also highlights the severe challenges faced by children with an incarcerated parent. These children are about half as likely to earn good grades, twice as likely to face behavioral problems in school, and five times as likely to suffer from depression. The Lion recently published a story on a Christian school that serves children of the incarcerated.

Brad Wilcox, one of the report’s authors, noted the findings align with research published recently in The New York Times showing that most adults in children’s lives are women – a pattern that underscores the need for more male role models.

Out of 19 categories of individuals likely to interact regularly with children – including teachers, physicians, and babysitters – only three were predominantly male: coaches, scout leaders and religious leaders. 

The effects of father involvement are most evident among lower-income families and in minority communities. 

“Black boys do better in neighborhoods where there are more fathers around, even if not their own,” the Times reported. Coaches, one of the few male-dominated professions working with children, “can play a formative role in shaping children’s outcomes.” 

“For most boys, the biggest missing role model is Dad,” Wilcox said, citing the Times’ finding that “growing up without a father at home, as one in five children do, particularly disadvantages boys.” 

There is some good news in the data: The decline in children living in married families has recently leveled off, and the percentage of black children raised in married families rose from 37% in 2015 to 40% in 2023. 

The report recommends that states follow the example of Florida and Tennessee, which have launched bipartisan statewide initiatives to strengthen fatherhood. Additional policy proposals include: 

• Making schools more supportive of boys; 
• Running public service announcements that highlight the importance of fathers;  
• Increasing access to parenting programs for incarcerated fathers before their release.