Books In the Home Affect Academic Achievement

Did you know that the number of books in your casa can improve your child's academic achievement? A study published last year in the Journal of Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, shows that the number of books in the house directly correlates to the number of years of schooling that a child in that home will complete. Samples were taken from 27 countries and found that children living in a home with as few as 25 books, completed on average two more years of schooling than those children with "bookless" homes. 

And the more books you have, the better your child's chances of graduating from high school - and even college! The study also found that households with 500 books or more were "as great an advantage as having university-educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father."

Moral of the story? Make your local bookstore one of your weekly shopping destinations!

Read more about this fascinating study (and others like it) in this article by Laura Miller.