tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post2827124245079544046..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Well BabyCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-25256378681264915982009-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:002009-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:00I love it when encourage their children to read. I...I love it when encourage their children to read. I myself am a childrens writer You should Check out my book The Adventures of Kid Humpty Dumpty. It tells what his life was like before he took his fall. You can get it at www.eloquentbooks.com/theadventuresofkidhumptydumpty.htmlUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15753053368334219044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-80350055012483888462009-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:002009-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:00@Mimi- I remember that bit of Freakonomics, too. I...@Mimi- I remember that bit of Freakonomics, too. I have a similar reason for not caring too much about the numeric ratings we started giving schools thanks to No Child Left Behind. I think those ratings mostly tell you how wealthy/educated the neighborhood is. One of the other tidbits that stuck with me from Freakonomics is that the best single predictor of a kid's academic success is the education level of the mother. <br /><br />Still, I have to think that having a book is better than not having one, even if it doesn't make the huge difference people once hoped it would. <br /><br />Of course, I'd rather we do something more substantial to help the kids living in poverty. Like work to help their parents get out of poverty. Or make sure that everyone has enough to eat and a place to live. Those things are a lot harder to organize than a program that gives out books, though.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-62731737684636284262009-04-15T12:52:00.000-07:002009-04-15T12:52:00.000-07:00Very interesting post. Your story about getting a...Very interesting post. Your story about getting a book from the doctor reminds me of something from Freakonomics: on the causality / correlation front, the authors noted that sending books to poor kids didn't confer on them the advantages expected. Turns out 'books in the house' means educated parents, and educated parents tend to be smarter / more prosperous.<br /><br />So unless you actually address the prosperity / smarts gap, free books from the doctor doesn't do much good for a disadvantaged kid.Mimihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10812707312289852258noreply@blogger.com