[af_vet_rr]

Far as I can see, it's cultural. I teach ESL, and when I say "Take out a piece of paper and a pencil," the Asian kids do it, the white kids do it, and the others, by and large, ignore me.

Maybe it's a combination of both cultural and socio-economic - if your parents went through high school, and on into college, they are going to make more money than somebody who may not have finished HS and who definitely didn't go to college. Your parents are going to realize the value of an education, whereas somebody who dropped out in high school may not care too much about education, and that attitude carries over to the kids.

[A_perfect_lady]

I don’t know what it is, but the Latino parents, educated or not, seem quite concerned. The ones who come to parent night are obviously hoping their children get more out of life than they ever did. Their children, however, seem over-indulged. I don’t know how many parents I’ve told (ever so gently) that perhaps they shouldn’t buy a PSP for a child who flatly refuses to do a lick of work either at school or at home.