As an adoptive parent I can say for certain that there are MANY reasons besides Bostonian's Bell Curve arguments that adopted children may struggle in school. Pre-natal care, malnutrition, attachment issues, the possibility that mothers who place children for adoption regardless of race may be more likely to have ADHD etc. I have two friends with adopted children, one from Ethiopia, one African-American, who are at least HG. If they were being raised in the environment they were born into you are deluded if you think they would "look" gifted. Deprivation has an effect on children that has nothing to do with genetics.