Sunday, November 06, 2005

Freakonomics

Although not related directly to technology at all, I think after reading this book, my desire to question things has been sparked. A few interesting bits:

“Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?” Authors Levitt and Dubner discuss our poor record of assessing risk. And how effective risk management is often times clouded by fear. There are lots of emerging technologies in our midst and on the horizon. What risks are involved with each of these, and how much of that ‘risk’ is just plain over-exaggerated, false and driven by fear that our students will do something ‘wrong’ with them? I would tend to say we are probably just as bad at determining the sorts of risks involved here as we are in determining whether a gun or a swimming pool is more dangerous. (BTW...a swimming pool is more dangerous.)

The most interesting section of the book is the one on parenting. “What things make a child do better in school, and what things don’t?” After regression analysis of a study done by the government in 1990 (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study), Levitt and Dubner find this:

Factors correlated (positively or negatively) with test scores:

  1. highly educated parents
  2. high socioeconomic status
  3. mother older than 30 when having first child
  4. child had low birth rate
  5. parents speak English
  6. child is adopted
  7. parents are involved in the PTA
  8. many books in the home

Factors not correlated with test scores:

  1. an intact family
  2. neighborhood
  3. mother working before child enters kindergarten
  4. child attended Head Start
  5. child regularly goes to museums
  6. child regularly spanked
  7. child frequently watches television
  8. child is read to every day

So what do they make of this? The things that matter most are what the parent IS. The things that don’t are what the parent DOES. Certainly interesting and thought provoking.

Posted by Randy on 11/06 at 06:37 PM
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