Originally Posted by Bostonian
It's not clear that efforts to increase the college attendance and graduation rates of low-SES students improves their overall welfare

Naturally. Education is one potential investment that can solve the problems associated with low SES, but it's a wasted effort if the beneficiaries are still struggling with needs much further down Maslow's hierarchy.

Countries with stronger social safety nets yield very different results than those you cite. This country prefers to direct its entitlements and safety nets to the upper class instead.