Parents' education level bolsters kids' learning capacity

Parents educated beyond high school do have a role in bolstering their kids' language skills and academic success, says a new study. "If you want your kids to do well in school, then the amount of education you get yourself is important," said Pamela Davis-Kean, psychologist at the University of Michigan (U-M). "Even after controlling for parental income, marital status and a host of other factors, we find that the impact of parental education remains significant," Davis-Kean said. One of the studies examined the long-term effects of parental education on children's success in school and work, beginning when children were eight years old and extending until they were 48. Another study examined how language skills and school readiness of three-year-olds were positively affected when mothers returned to school. "In every case, we've found that an increase in parental education has a positive impact on children's success in school," said Davis-Kean. "And this impact is particularly strong when parents start with a high school education or less. "These findings may be reassuring to parents at a time when many are unemployed or worried about future job prospects," she said. "They clearly show that in terms of the effect on children's achievement, it's more important for parents to get a good education than to get a high-paying job," she said. "Of course, the more education you have, the more likely it is that you'll find a good job, so an increase in education often leads to an increase in income." More education might mean that parents are more likely to read to their children, she suggested. Or it could be that parents who are in school need to be more organized in order to get everything done, so they tend to create a more structured home environment, with dinner and bedtime occurring at regular times, for example. Creating a more structured environment for children - as opposed to giving them lots of free time - has been getting something of a bad reputation lately. But she believes that for the vast majority of American children, the value of free time has been exaggerated. "There's this idealistic, nostalgic idea that free time gives children a chance to go out and play, and just experience nature," she said. "But in reality, in today's world where both parents are likely to be employed outside the home, what free time means for most kids is sitting in front of the TV, playing video games and generally being bored with no stimulation."