Have a look at the bookshelves in your home. If your walls are lined with books, your child is given an enormous advantage in school.
The researchers studied representative families in 27 nations and found a correlation between the number of books in the home and the number of years a child spent in school:
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Growing up in a home with 500 books would propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average, than would growing up in a similar home with few or no books.
- Further, the study found that a child from a book-filled home is 19 percent more likely to finish college than a child from a home without books. The overall effect holds from country to country, even adjusting for parent education and other family characteristics. When books are enjoyed at home, the study contends, that translates to school being more enjoyable as well.
