Family v. School

From back in October, a note on the obvious (or is it?)Parenting more important than schools to academic achievement, study finds

Oct. 10, 2012 — New research from North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the University of California, Irvine finds that parental involvement is a more significant factor in a child's academic performance than the qualities of the school itself.
"Our study shows that parents need to be aware of how important they are, and invest time in their children -- checking homework, attending school events and letting kids know school is important," says Dr. Toby Parcel, a professor of sociology at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. "That's where the payoff is."

Of course it's possible that the connection of family to school performance comes from other pathways as well. But it may well be that the biggest influence a school can have on kids is actually through the parents. And then again we have Judith Harris...and it's possible that the biggest influence a parent can have is through the peer group.
Or then again, maybe not.