The economics of how to live happily ever after
Stay in school as long as possible, and then get married to somebody else well-educated. That's what been reported in a recent article of The Economist. It also helps if you become a professor:
Research also suggests that middle- and working-class parents approach child-rearing in different ways. Professional parents shuttle their kids from choir practice to baseball camp and check that they are doing their homework. They also talk to them more. One study found that a college professor's kids hear an average of 2,150 words per hour in the first years of life. Working-class children hear 1,250 and those in welfare families only 620.And make sure you put the bulk of your big spending on their education earlier rather than later, even kindergarten is probably too late. Early childhood education programs (think preschool and earlier) yield profound results:
Participants achieved greater literacy and higher grades, and they were more likely to graduate high school. Later in life, they were more likely to be employed—and to earn more—and less likely to be on welfare. They also committed less crime and had lower rates of teen pregnancy.[2]The study also points out that not only your kids, but all of society benefits from not having to invest in crime and welfare support for the many children that otherwise are affected by not receiving such care.
The science of family values is giving me creepy, right-wing religious Republican feelings. But as studies and common attestation by their political representatives clearly show ( [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [etc. etc.] ) these people are scientifically illiterate as a social group; so, I'm safe from becoming likeunto them.
REFERENCES
[images] The Economist
[1] "The frayed knot" The Economist (May 24th, 2007)
[2] "Teach your children well." Slate (May 25, 2007)
[3 - 6] in-line links provided.
O.
Labels: Amercian Culture, Character Development, college, education
posted by Brint Montgomery @ 3:07 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Further excellent evidence of the Republican social group's failure of scientific awareness comes from the Gallup News Servcie:
"Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution" (June 11th, 2007)
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=27847
I think a clear failure of the K-12 state education system, along with a failure of the wall between church and state, allows this kind of social group to rise to power in American politics.
"But even among non-Republicans there appears to be a significant minority who doubt that evolution adequately explains where humans came from."
And the same poll shows that 40% of democrats don't believe in evolution, versus 68% of republicans. But remember, Republicans don't believe in evolution, and Democrats do. Because Democrats are smarter. Let's make this nice and simple, eh?
...Really. Has anyone ever stopped to think that the doubt about evolution may in small or large part be due to people on both sides loudly proclaiming that if evolution is true, God/Christianity must be false? Or even that many may say they reject evolution but actually believe in something that's rather close to it, but they term it Intelligent Design or otherwise? At least 24% of those polled believe in both "creationism" and "evolution".
Really, if the lack of professed belief in evolution is so worrisome, the proponents of it (and I am essentially one, even without the Behe/Dembski exceptions) may want to ask, "When I talk about christians accepting evolution, do I do it with a smirk and a sneer? And do I think it's important to believe in it because I hope it will put a damper on the social or political views I find distasteful?"
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