Your Family

By DANIEL S. LEVY

JOBS VS. GRADES Traditional student jobs may result in teens studying less and scoring lower in math and science, Penn State researchers reported last week. And benefits from after-school jobs, such as practical application of math, are less available because of increased reliance on equipment like coded-key registers. So if your kids have to work, make sure they hit the books before they punch the clock.

IS DIVORCE INHERITED? Children of divorce have long been more likely to get divorced than children whose parents have stayed together. But that gap narrowed by more than half between 1973 and 1996, according to a study published last week by a University of Utah professor. Among the reasons cited: society's increased tolerance for divorce, which weakens negative effects on kids, and a rise in the number of children of divorce who avoid marriage altogether.

Divorce rate among those who grew up in:

1973 1996

Two-parent family 15 36 Divorced family 33 43

GRAVE GRIFTERS A third of Americans over 50 have prepaid part of their burial expenses. Yet many are victims of deceptive funeral-home practices, according to a new AARP report. Despite laws requiring written price lists, 32% of customers were not offered one, and 29% were misinformed about features, such as the claim that casket liners pre-serve a body. AARP is calling for stricter regulation and the creation of fraud-recovery funds.

--By Daniel S. Levy