Study Finds that Good Schools Aren’t as Important as Good Parents

Article at a Glance:
• Study finds that parental influence is five times more influential than the classroom setting.
• Family meals, limiting TV, providing positive role models, and participating in family discussions can have a tremendous influence on our children’s academic success.

Good schools are very important, but according to a new study good parenting is even more important.

A study by the Royal Economic Society in the United Kingdom found that parental influence is five times more influential than the classroom setting. The areas that seemed to be most affected were math and science.

Researchers analyzed data from Danish schools from 2002 to 2010. They compared students who switched schools at age 16 to their siblings who stayed with the same school throughout their teen years. Looking at the differences in exam results between the former school and the current school, they calculated the relative influence of factors like the school, the family, and individual characteristics. The study reported that, “half of the variation in test scores is attributable to shared family factors, while schools only account for 10 per cent.”

Although previous studies have shown that both school and family is important, this study gives a better idea of their relative impacts.

It is a good reminder that we aren’t powerless when it comes to our children’s education. Things like eating together, limiting TV, providing positive role models, and participating in family discussions can have a tremendous influence on our children’s academic success.