Chpater 5....sorry its out of order

This chapter was all about the theory of parenting. The authors are trying to figure out if parenting really is that important when it comes to the outcome of a kid. They then explain the possibility that kids personalities are affected by their peers, schools they attend, and environments. This theory was tested when the Chicago Public System decided to allow kids to have their choice in what school they went to. The data revealed that the school you go to does not matter. This was pretty shocking to me since I am a firm believer that kids’ peers and their environments’ shape their personalities. The book also explained the theory of black kids acting white. This subject is something I feel is very interesting. Fryer said that he studies these types of subjects because he wants to find out why the disparities between blacks and whites are so high. I feel that Blacks overall are at such a disadvantage in their socioeconomic environments. The reason why is because they are in a lose lose situation. If they don’t speak intelligently and try to act “ghetto” then Whites look at them in a bad way. However, if they “act white” then Blacks look at them in a bad way and don’t accept them. So how is a young black man suppose to carry himself? The authors then explain how overall Whites usually outperform Blacks on standardized tests. However, when they controlled the income levels and socioeconomic backrounds, blacks tested just as well as whites. I feel this is more proof of how important education is. Blacks are at more of a disadvantage when it comes to learning simply because they do not have the best resources. When you take control all the outside factors, Blacks and Whites test just as well before they start school but then after years in school Blacks test worse than Whites. The government needs to come up with a way for everyone to have a good solid foundation when it comes to education. The authors then find the correlation between children’s personal circumstances and their school performance. They conclude there are eight factors which correlate with test scores. The authors gave sixteen possible correlations and I guessed which ones I thought were correlated. Out of the eight I guessed, there were six I was correct on. The two I thought were correlated but weren’t were children recently moving and parents reading to their child every night. It seemed logical that if a child moved to a better neighborhood they would do better in school because they would be living in a better environment. I also thought that children being read to each night would help their test scores because they would learn more and understand the importance of reading. The chapter ends when the authors explain that everything that correlated had to do with what parents are instead of what they do. Which sums up the point that parenting is not as important when it comes to school as people assume.