Friedman is reporting the results of a study done by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or O.E.C.D. Every three years they survey 15 year olds in industrialized nations to determine their:
Reading comprehension and ability to use what they’ve learned in math and science to solve real problems — the most important skills for succeeding in college and life.
This testing program is called the P.I.S.A. or Program for International Student Assessment. To understand why some students do well and others poorly, the organization interviewed the parents of 5000 students in 18 industrialized countries. Here are the study's three main findings:
- Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all.
- The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socio-economic background.
- Parents’ engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.
I remember my parents reading to and with me and emphasizing the importance of college throughout my adolescence, and before. I'm sure Friedman has these memories too. It matters.
