The Hard Work Hypothesis: Is Doing Your Homework Enough to Overcome the Effects of Poverty?

It is well-established that the effects of poverty are devastating for children in school. More generally, scholars have documented that low "socio-economic status" (SES), whether measured by family income, parent education, or parent occupation, is usually the most powerful predictor of achievement and test score performance, sometimes swamping all other factors (White, 1982). This advantage translates to life success; children of the wealthy are far more likely to become wealthy, become professionals, and attain positions of power than children of the poor. (Simonton, 1994). Simonton, in fact, concludes that "the log cabin myth is just that, pure myth" (p. 157).