"But Family Income Matters More Than Math Talent"

"Dynarski's study, above, shows that poor children who manage to graduate from college have beaten the odds. They require, on average, more academic ability in order to obtain a college degree than a more affluent child. Through some combination of talent and hard work, in addition to luck, they have overperformed. A child from an affluent background who fails to graduate college has also beaten the odds, in a negative way. Through some lack of hard work or talent or, of course, luck, they underperformed.
"And yet a child from a poor background who beats the odds to graduate from college is still less likely to wind up in the top fifth of income earners than a child from an affluent background who failed to graduate from college."


Jonathan Chait at New York looks at studies of class and education.