Books at home boost kids' educational levels

Washington, May 21 (ANI): A new study has shoawn that parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain.

The 20-year study was led by Mariah Evans, University of Nevada, Reno associate professor of sociology and resource economics.

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.

The study has been published in the journal, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility. (ANI)