New Study Provides More Evidence of Parents' Role in Academic Success

"Apparently it doesn’t much matter whether low-income, urban students attend a public or private high school, reports Greg Toppo in USA Today. In actuality, the biggest factors determining a student’s academic success are whether their parents take part in their education, earn enough money to offer enriching experiences and have high aspirations for their kids, according to a new study released by the Center on Education Policy. The findings, which examined 12 years of data from more than 1,000 young people, found that while SAT scores of students in private schools are higher than those of their public-school peers, their overall performance in math, reading, science and history was no better. In fact, private school students were no more likely to go to college or be satisfied with their jobs by age 26. The study also seems to signal that forcing public and private schools to compete for taxpayer-financed vouchers is merely a "diversion" from a more substantial education debate. Consequently, as Jack Jennings, the center’s president, notes 'we have to be very conscious of what parents bring to schools.'"