@lookingforward My point was that although there were no replication studies, there are other studies out there that can fill in the rest of the picture. It would be quite easy to pick out the piece that does not fit and analyze it for subtle bias .
Why the condition is the way it is does not affect my main point. @alh ‘s philosophy of education is interesting, but it again is a subplot to the main theme. I personally do not believe education is intended to make us moral, and if it is, it has failed miserably. People are driven by self-interest, a good education gives one better tools to rationalize it away, but it would not make one any less self-serving, imo.
@Zinhead I think Bock’s point that young people should have a plan going into college is a good one. I also think @Regulus7 hits the nail on the head with the comment about students at the left side of the “talent” pool as well. If these weak students are also lazy, then the odds of them earning more than high school grads are slim. If students have plans and are determined, on the other hand, they can, like Beth in “Aspiring Adults Adrift” do well.
Of course, how one chooses to live one’s life is not my business; I know what I would do though.