People that work hard will almost always do better than people who are just smart. I've seen a lot of very smart, very well educated people make crap of their lives. Conversely, I've seen a lot of people who have a hard time reading a book or doing algebra start their own companies.
How about dads?
The people that Beegle describes are so beat down that they lack ambition on top of literacy and basic middle-class values of any sort.
They will remain in the underclass if they don’t improve their minds and expand their horizons.
The problem is the present-day education system will only make them more dependant, not less.
I’ve been associated with a couple of churches which sought to evangelize this sort of folks and we had some success in changing lives. More churches should try it but, sadly, not that many want to get down and love the unloveable.