{"product_id":"the-parent-trap-isbn-9780262046688","title":"The Parent Trap","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow parents have been set up to fail, and why helping them succeed is the key to achieving a fair and prosperous society.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFew people realize that raising children is the single largest industry in the United States. Yet this vital work receives little political support, and its primary workers—parents—labor in isolation. If they ask for help, they are made to feel inadequate; there is no centralized organization to represent their interests; and there is virtually nothing spent on research and development to help them achieve their goals. It’s almost as if parents are set up to fail—and the result is lost opportunities that limit children’s success and make us all worse off. In \u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e, Nate Hilger combines cutting-edge social science research, revealing historical case studies, and on-the-ground investigation to recast parenting as the hidden crucible of inequality.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eParents are expected not only to care for their children but to help them develop the skills they will need to thrive in today’s socioeconomic reality—but most parents, including even the most caring parents on the planet, are not trained in skill development and lack the resources to get help. How do we fix this? The solution, Hilger argues, is to ask \u003ci\u003eless\u003c\/i\u003e of parents, not more. America should consider child development a public investment with a monumental payoff. We need a program like Medicare—call it Familycare—to drive this investment. To make it happen, parents need to organize to wield their political power on behalf of children—who will always be the largest bloc of disenfranchised people in this country. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e exposes the true costs of our society’s unrealistic expectations around parenting and lays out a profoundly hopeful blueprint for reform.Introduction 1\u003cbr\u003e1 An Alternate Reality 21\u003cbr\u003e2 What Parents Really Do 57\u003cbr\u003e3 Teaching Old Parents New Tricks 85\u003cbr\u003e4 Why Parents Can't Build Skills on Their Own 111\u003cbr\u003e5 Skill Development and Racial Inequality 133\u003cbr\u003e6 Getting More by Asking for Less 165\u003cbr\u003e7 Why We Don't Invest in Skill Development 189\u003cbr\u003eAppendix 215\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 225\u003cbr\u003eNotes 227\u003cbr\u003eIndex 287\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eGreater Good Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e Favorite Parenting Book of 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eA Next Big Idea Club nominee\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e is a provocative, well-written, and creative analysis of the problem of parenting in America and what to do about it, making a bold \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ecase for policy changes to support parents and children in new ways.”\u003cbr\u003e —\u003cb\u003eJames J. Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, University of Chicago; recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Hilger \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eexpertly weaves together cutting-edge science and historical narratives to give us a fresh perspective on how we can help parents raise children and combat growing inequality across generations. Captivating, rigorous, and insightful, this book will be valuable for everyone from parents to policy makers.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eRaj Chetty, William A. Ackman Professor of Economics, Harvard University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Few books open your mind to a new way of seeing an issue. This book is the rare exception. The right role for parents, according to Hilger, is not to provide children the skills they need to succeed but to band together to advocate for new and better policies in the public domain. This impassioned and highly readable book lays out an ambitious policy agenda supported by a fresh way of seeing deep inequalities by race and class.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eIsabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution; author of \u003ci\u003eThe Forgotten Americans\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeneration Unboun\u003c\/b\u003ed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“DON’T READ THIS BOOK—unless you want assumptions on the origins of inequality replaced with facts. Nate Hilger brilliantly weaves together the very best social science research on youth outcomes and parenting to highlight our successes but also how our society can do much better if we dare.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bruce Sacerdote, Richard S. Braddock 1963 Professor in Economics, Dartmouth College\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Surely among the most important books of the year. This groundbreaking and clearly written book offers concrete solutions for one of the biggest problems facing contemporary society: the unreasonable expectations we place on parents. A must-read for scholars, policy makers, activists, and, yes, parents.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSeth Stephens-Davidowitz, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eEverybody Lies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Hilger makes a compelling argument for federal investment in child-rearing.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Hilger is willing to say truths that are often not said. . . . An interesting and challenging book.\"—\u003cb\u003eAlex Tabarrok, \u003ci\u003eMarginal Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"[Hilger's] book is both informative and a call to action for those who care about the well-being of children—which should be all of us.\"—\u003cb\u003eJill Suttie, \u003ci\u003eGreater Good Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"Terrific—smartly argued and very well written. The basic theme is that society needs to do more to help children build skills outside of the normal school day.\"—\u003cb\u003eGreg Mankiw's Blog\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"[\u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e] brings together a lot of data in pursuit of a valuable and noble goal. Many kids in the US (and Europe) get a bum deal and their talent is not realized! . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e has a clear diagnosis of the problem, and believes it is worth trying to fix it.\"—\u003cb\u003eDavid Hugh-Jones, \u003ci\u003eLess Wrong blog\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Parent Trap\u003c\/i\u003e is a provocative, well-written, and creative analysis of the problem of parenting in America and what to do about it, making a bold case for policy changes to support parents and children in new ways.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eJames J. Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, University of Chicago; recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Hilger expertly weaves together cutting-edge science and historical narratives to give us a fresh perspective on how we can help parents raise children and combat growing inequality across generations. Captivating, rigorous, and insightful, this book will be valuable for everyone from parents to policy makers.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eRaj Chetty, William A. Ackman Professor of Economics, Harvard University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Few books open your mind to a new way of seeing an issue. This book is the rare exception. The right role for parents, according to Hilger, is not to provide children the skills they need to succeed but to band together to advocate for new and better policies in the public domain. This impassioned and highly readable book lays out an ambitious policy agenda supported by a fresh way of seeing deep inequalities by race and class.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eIsabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution; author of \u003ci\u003eThe Forgotten Americans\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeneration Unboun\u003c\/b\u003ed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“DON’T READ THIS BOOK—unless you want assumptions on the origins of inequality replaced with facts. Nate Hilger brilliantly weaves together the very best social science research on youth outcomes and parenting to highlight our successes but also how our society can [VC4] do much better if we dare.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bruce Sacerdote, Richard S. Braddock 1963 Professor in Economics, Dartmouth College\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Surely among the most important books of the year. This groundbreaking and clearly written book offers concrete solutions for one of the biggest problems facing contemporary society: the unreasonable expectations we place on parents. A must-read for scholars, policy makers, activists, and, yes, parents.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSeth Stephens-Davidowitz, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eEverybody Lies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eNate G. Hilger is an economist and data scientist in Silicon Valley. His work on the origins of success in children has been featured in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, and other media outlets. He has published articles in the \u003ci\u003eQuarterly Journal of Economics\u003c\/i\u003e and other leading academic journals.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302030790885,"sku":"NP9780262046688","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262046688.jpg?v=1767740868","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-parent-trap-isbn-9780262046688","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}