Fathers and Child Educational Outcomes

What sort of impact to fathers have on children? We mentioned some of the ways in our introductory post, but check out some other ways research has found that fathers matter for children (courtesy of fatherhood.gov). I'll add some of my non-expert yet research-based opinions on why these findings may be the way they were.

Preschoolers with actively involved fathers have stronger verbal skills.
Active fathers tend to focus a lot on verbal communication and helping children say what they mean. By preschool, these skills begin to manifest themselves as fathers invest in their children through communication.

Children with actively involved fathers display less behavior problems in school.
Having two parents to discipline children helps prevent problem behavior.

Girls with strong relationships with their fathers do better in mathematics.
Males generally show more of an aptitude with right brain tasks, which could help if fathers help their daughters with math homework.

Boys with actively involved fathers tend to get better grades and perform better on achievement tests.
Fathers influence sons by simply being a same-gender parent who is invested in his son, at a very basic level.

Research shows that even very young children who have experienced high father involvement show an increase in curiosity and in problem solving capacity. Fathers’ involvement seems to encourage children’s exploration of the world around them and confidence in their ability to solve problems.
I believe this one is self-explanatory.

Highly involved fathers also contribute to increased mental dexterity in children, increased empathy, less stereotyped sex role beliefs and greater self-control.
It looks like these involved fathers also have involved mothers who help each other stay balanced in their marital/familial roles (whatever they may be), and the children are able to see this as an example of how to behave.

When non-custodial fathers are highly involved with their children’s learning, the children are more likely to get A's at all grade levels.
Involvement is key more than actual marital status.

Nonresident father contact with children and involvement in their schools within the past year are associated with the same three factors: fathers paying child support; custodial mothers being more educated; and custodial homes not experiencing financial difficulties.
Nonresident fathers being involved eases the burden on mothers, which reflects in interactions with their children.