Reply to Does enrichment make "any" student smart and give a leg up?

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Reply to "Does enrichment make "any" student smart and give a leg up?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I hear that math and English enrichment programs can provide a leg up and an advantage over classroom peers, and there are opposing views that student's ability to abosorb enrichment content matter not the color of their skin or their economical standing.  At the same time, I hear the argument that intelligence is shaped by a mix of factors, including natural ability, motivation, study habits, and access to resources. The argument is that that no amount of enrichment can truly enhance a student's ability to absorb information or put in more effort, irrespective of their social standing or lunch budget allocation. Thoughts?
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The kid who works hard has an almost insurmountable advantage over the kid who does not.
If all kids work hard, then talent and native ability will make the difference but there is no danger that all kids, particularly all teenagers will put in the effort and thereby be competing on pure talent alone.
Sure being wealthy helps.  Not worrying about eviction and losing water is better than being constantly reminded of poverty.
So, a poor kid that works hard may not do as well as a rich kid that works hard but they will do better than a rich kid that does not work hard.
There is always an advantage to effort.

In the context of current conversations about racial achievement gaps...
The difference between asians and whites in academic achievement can be entirely explained by differences in effort.  https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1406402111  
An old study out of california said the same thing about blacks, whites and asians.  Irrespective of income, effort will always improve performance and cognitive ability.

This is mostly cultural.
When a kid does poorly on a test, some cultures think that kid is academically untalented. An asian might be more inclined to think that kid is academically lazy.
And even a stupid kid is better off with good study habits.  Turning a C- student into a B+ student will radically alter the course of their life.  That B+ student is smarter than the exact same student that made a C- effort.
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