<p>barrons - thanks for that link, I read through the whole thing. It does confirm that genetics is about half of the equation and environment is about half.</p>
<p>My sister’s kids both tested around 90% on standardized tests but grew up poor with lousy, unstimulating daycare. They both graduated HS near the bottom of the class, more of a dollar correlation that an IQ one. They (and my sister) have managed to scratch their way comfortably into the middle class without ever passing through that 18-and-off-to-college maturation step we typically discuss here.</p>
<p>On a separate note, the relatives in France are getting a far superior public education compared to my children in a wealthy American suburb. There are lots of other reasons not to move to France.</p>