Abstract
This pilot study reports the baseline data of a prospective longitudinal study examining the educational achievements of grandchildren being raised by grandparents in parent absent homes. The baseline data includes 117 grandchildren in grades K-12 in two school districts in a Southeastern state. School records reporting 2,230 grades were examined for grade point average (GPA) and attendance for K-12 and conduct in grades K-5. Many of the grandchildren achieved A/B averages. There were no significant differences between gender, pre-care experiences, placement by welfare agencies, or paternal involvement across years of schooling. GPAs were lower in the grandchildren who had been exposed to drugs in-utero across the school trajectory in math, language arts, science, and conduct.
