"Having books in the home helps children succeed in Education"; you would think this idea is a no brainer. Unfortunately, there are still many children in the United States who have very few or no books in their homes.
At one of my favorite blogs, On Our Minds @Scholastic they discussed this issue. They sited this 20 year study, “Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations,” was published in the journal, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility (online at www.sciencedirect.com).
This is the basic conclusion of the study where it stated:
"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 as having parents who are barely literate (3 years of education) compared to having parents who have a university education (15 or 16 years of education). Both factors, having a 500-book library or having university-educated parents, propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average."
I love what the bloggers at Scholastic had to say about this study, "For those of us trying to ensure that every child has a chance at succeeding in school and in life, this is huge."
I happen to agree 100% with my friends at Scholastic. Throughout my many years in teaching, I have seen those children who were raised, from infant hood, with books. These children have been the ones reading earlier than their peers. They are more interested in the reading process. They also tend to do better in other areas of learning.
Being a sociologist,Mariah Evans was particularly interested to find that children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. She has been looking for ways to help Nevada’s rural communities, in terms of economic development and education.
“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.”
I agree with the researchers, that having books in the home allows us to give ALL children an early start in learning. So what do you think? Did you grow up in a home with many books? Do you feel like this gave you a great start? I would love to hear from all of you.
Although both my parents were Italian immigrants, they were readers and education was a priority. Buying books was important and we had lots at home both in English and French. It was a delight for my parents to find their girls with a good book in their hands.
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