My kids went to a good high school with many kids from very affluent homes, like those in the Carlsbad district.
(Not us! Solidly middle-class here.)
There were plenty of rich white kids who were poor students, largely because they were so spoiled they weren’t held accountable at home. Parents wanted them to have the best of everything, including good times and happy childhoods.
Contrast that with the relatively poor Asian kids, those with immigrant parents, who studied non-stop because that’s what their culture expected.
Mind you, those are extremes, but I saw them both during the 19 years my kids were in school. Repeatedly.
It’s not right to blame the schools, ethnicity, affluence, etc. Kids learn and perform when they’re reared to value education, plain and simple.
...who studied non-stop because that’s what their culture expected.
I have heard this over and over again. And it simply isn’t true. It isn’t what “their culture expected.” It’s what they believe American culture expects and rewards. It’s actually central to the “American Dream.” Work hard and succeed.