Books at home boost kids’ educational levels

WASHINGTON - Parents who keep books at home encourage their children to acquire higher levels of education, says a 20-year study.

For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated.

But, strikingly, this massive study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain.

Mariah Evans, associate professor of sociology at the University of Nevada (UN), was particularly interested to find that children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books at home.

“What kinds of investments should we be making to help these kids get ahead?” she asked.

“The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed.”

According to Evans, “even a little bit goes a long way” in terms of the number of books in a home. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on propelling a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater the benefit.”

In some countries, such as China, having 500 or more books in the home propels children 6.6 years further in their education.

In the US, the effect is less, 2.4 years, than the 3.2-year average advantage experienced across all 27 countries in the study. But Evans points out that 2.4 years is still a significant advantage in terms of educational attainment.

For example, according to the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Americans who have some college or an associate’s degree, but not a bachelor’s degree, earn an average of $7,213 more annually than those with just a high school education.

Those who attain a bachelor’s degree earn $21,185 more each year, on average, than those with just high school diplomas, said a University of Nevada release.

The study by Evans and her colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Australian National University is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on what influences the level of education a child will attain.

The study was published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.

–Indo Asian News Service