Obviously, poor performing public schools don't do anyone any favors. They are filled with apathy from the teachers to the students. Other than that, regardless of what the parents are making, a strong education is a huge contributing factor for upward mobility.
> People who see education as a cure-all have largely ignored the metric most predictive of a child's educational success: household income.
This is patently untrue and can be seen directly in several poor immigrant populations that have come to the US in the last several decades. Cultures that put an emphasis on education have had the highest social mobility. The only reason household income is 'predictive' is because success typically begets success. But in higher income areas parents are simply more involved - maybe because they can afford to be or because they put an emphasis on education or they know the benefits of an education. This can work just as well for poor students, it's just more difficult.
> People who see education as a cure-all have largely ignored the metric most predictive of a child's educational success: household income.
This is patently untrue and can be seen directly in several poor immigrant populations that have come to the US in the last several decades. Cultures that put an emphasis on education have had the highest social mobility. The only reason household income is 'predictive' is because success typically begets success. But in higher income areas parents are simply more involved - maybe because they can afford to be or because they put an emphasis on education or they know the benefits of an education. This can work just as well for poor students, it's just more difficult.