<p>Yeah–I have a scholar-type, nicknamed professor by her friends and a nationally ranked athlete, so we don’t have this going on in our house, either. But, and this is a strong caveat, I’m not always sure you see it coming. I’ve known more than one parent of an exceptional______________ who was blindsided by the kid getting into incredible trouble. Even good kids and smart kids do stupid things when they are teenagers. So, I’m just wondering, is it that there are more safety-nets in wealthier areas? Certainly the latest drug kid is not the drug kid necessarily, next year, and the kid who does poorly in school one year may end up doing quite well the next. The downward spirals, except in extreme cases, seem to be intervened, and not just by the parents. I personally was involved in getting a kid who’d gone Waayyyy off track, who had once been a friend of oldest, back on track by letting her parent’s know what was really going on. It’s not always easy to see with high achievers, and an earlier intervention is better. And, i just wonder, if that isn’t one of the reasons kids can get back on track in moneyed areas and have a more difficult time in places where there is less. I’m wondering if this “contributes” to the systemic issues in schools and if there is something that can actually be done about it.</p>