The Deseret News – Marsha Maxwell
“A new study by researchers at New York University found that educated mothers help their children succeed at school not just by expanding their academic knowledge, but by modeling behaviors and making social connections that lead to educational success. A mother’s educational achievement is directly related to a child’s success in school. This is true even for adopted children or children whose mothers completed their education after they were born, researchers found. A father’s education has a similar effect, as reported in the Deseret News. Often, greater educational attainment by children of educated mothers is attributed to a “language gap.” Educated mothers talk more to their children, and as a result, the child develops a bigger vocabulary that contributes to success in school. Interventions in low-income neighborhoods encourage mothers to talk to their children more often, according to a recent article in The New Yorker. The NYU study looked beyond the language gap, examining other ways that educated mothers promote a child’s achievement. They identified three types of advantages for families with educated mothers: cognitive skills, cultural knowledge and social connections.”(more)