True, and there are plenty of affluent kids who are also not the brightest bulbs. I am reading a book by an extreme liberal educational expert on the topic, and he argues that we should focus more on "outcomes" than "opportunity." For instance, if somebody truly only has capabilities that will allow her to maybe smile while restocking the coffee and muffin tray at the Ramada (or maybe be the next hostess of a reality show if she is Lori Loughlin's daughter rather than some low income kid), should she be penalized with a minimum wage that is not adequate for basic needs plus a few small luxuries, acquired in a manner that does not require the cleverness of your typical EREer?chenda wrote:Yes, and there is a widespread tendency I find to argue that poverty is somehow solvable by 'increasing opportunity', and that if 'social barriers' are lifted then the poor will all become successful graduates and millionaires. I'm all for helping people with talent in disadvantaged circumstances succeed but half the population has a below average IQ.
OTOH, one problem I've seen with conservative take on such matters is that IQ/potential is often confused with behavior. There are plenty of very intelligent young hoodlums being lost in our educational system.