In a new Upjohn Institute working paper, Nicholas W. Papageorge and Kevin Thom describe how recent advances in behavioral genetics allow them to predict the variations in educational attainment, employment, earnings, and wealth that children will experience in their lifetimes. They also find that the relationship between a child's inherent ability and educational outcome is lessened by socioeconomic status. Therefore, a recurring theme throughout the paper is the need to increase investment in education for poor children so that they may fully reach levels of human capital attained by peers of similar ability.
Read "Genes, Education, and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study," by Nicholas W. Papageorge and Kevin Thom.