Does a College Degree Make You a Better Mother? Nearly a Quarter of Americans Say Yes, According to New Research from eLearners.com

HOBOKEN, N.J., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey by eLearners.com (http://www.elearners.com), a web resource of EducationDynamics, which connects prospective students with online degrees and sponsors Project Working Mom, found that nearly one in four Americans (24 percent) believe women with a college degree are better mothers than those without.

Although the majority of respondents did not believe a college degree produced better moms, research from the U.S. Department of Education, Parents' Literacy and their Children's Success in School, reveals more educated mothers have greater success in providing their kids with cognitive and language skills that help their children be successful in school.

"The connection between a parent's education and the academic success of their children has been documented time and again," said Helen MacDermott, Content Director for eLearners.com. "Although a mother's education does not dictate the love she can give her children, it may impact her ability to assist with academic development, as well as role-model the importance of school. This could explain why through our Project Working Mom campaign, we've found 'being a role-model' one of the primary reasons moms are applying for the full-tuition scholarships."

Additionally, according to Child Trends Databank indicator, Parental Education, school readiness, educational achievement and health-related behaviors, such as smoking and binge drinking, are influenced by parental education levels.  Further, it reports that children are also likely to have greater access to material, human and social resources if their parents are more educated.    

Other Key Findings

• More than one in three (36 percent) Americans ages 18-24 think women who graduated from college are better mothers than those who have not, compared to 23 percent of older Americans.
• More college grads than those who didn't graduate college (39 percent vs. 18 percent) think women with a college degree are better mothers than those without.

To help more parents, especially moms, afford a college education, eLearners.com created Project Working Mom. In its fourth cycle, the Project Working Mom program has already awarded more than $6 million in full-tuition scholarships to about 250 parents. Project Working Mom 2010 is currently underway offering nearly 100 additional full-tuition scholarships. Applications are currently being accepted at www.projectworkingmom.com and the deadline to apply is September 30.

Several Project Working Mom recipients recently participated in a year-long research project by the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University.  The study looked at what motivates mothers to pursue and continue higher education.  The study found that while mothers initially return to school to improve their career and to serve as a role model for their children, they often have a paradigm shift once school begins, where self-confidence improves and the drive to become a life-long learner is ignited.  To view the full research report visit http://www.elearners.com/projectworkingmom/about/research-about-project-working-mom/.

About eLearners.com®

eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online degree program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources.  eLearners.com also offers an exclusive seven-point support system, which provides guidance and resources for current and prospective online students.  For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their online learning programs.  For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics is higher education's leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, EducationConnection.com, TestDriveCollegeOnline.com and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research and Advisory Services, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com/.

Survey Methodology

The eLearners.com moms and education research surveyed 484 men and 516 women.  About one third of the respondents have children under the age of 18 living in their home. Kelton Research conducted the survey between April 5th and April 12th, 2010 using an email invitation and an online survey.  Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.  The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.

In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

SOURCE eLearners.com