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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's not about taking your kids to museums or the zoo, although it's great if you do that.  The vocabulary gap is caused by SES and educational level of parents.  Has to do with what your vocabulary and background knowledge are, and your level of education.[/quote]

Not necessarily.

Back at the turn of the century, when Slavic, Italian and other immigrants arrived in America, they were dirt poor, they couldn't speak the language, they spat on, denigrated, they were discriminated against, they were forbidden from going to certain churches, certain businesses, and from living in certain neighborhoods.

What turned it around?

Hard work.  The kids were who learned the language, who became literate, who studied, who worked hard, and who as a result rose in SES to get out of the ghetto.  Their parents' limited vocabulary did not hold them back.  The difference is that the immigrant parents considered this to be a land of opportunity, where you can get ahead in life if you work hard at it.  They didn't sit around waiting for someone else to get them out of the ghetto.  But those who have been here all along do not see it, and as a result do not work hard at getting educated, do not work hard at getting a good job, and as a result remain stuck in the same SES for generations.[/quote]

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