Child Maltreatment and Academic Performance
Author(s):
Brian A. Jacob and Joseph Ryan
Key Findings:
- Approximately 18% of Michigan third graders have been formally investigated by Child Protective Services (CPS) for possible exposure to maltreatment.
- Across Michigan, some student groups are more likely to be investigated by CPS for suspected child maltreatment.
- Early childhood maltreatment is associated with signifcantly lower academic outcomes, even after we control for school, neighborhood, race, and other key demographics.
- Referral rates vary dramatically across districts, and even across schools within the same district. It is not unusual for one-third of students in high-poverty schools to have been investigated for abuse or neglect.
- While poorer school districts have higher rates of maltreatment investigations, there are important exceptions to this pattern.
On average, approximately 18% of third grade students have been subject to at least one formal investigation for child maltreatment.” Page 2