I supported this counter-intuitive view with evidence from anthropology, sociology, and several subfields of psychology. But what has been overlooked in the commotion surrounding my book is its positive message. If the parents' child-rearing style matters little in the long run, that doesn't mean that nothing matters in the long run. The conclusion I drew from my overview of a great deal of research is that people who are interested in the long-term effects of a child's environment should look not at the home, but at the world outside the home. And the most important part of that world is the school.
Teachers have power and responsibility because they are in control of an entire group of children.
They can influence the attitudes and behaviors of the entire group. Researchers have spent far too much time, with far too little to show for it, looking at the home environment. That is why parents are often surprised by what they hear from their child's teacher. Such children quickly pick up the language and culture of the world outside their home and, as they get older, leave the language and culture of their home behind. I believe they do it by identifying with a group of others they see as similar to themselves.