Poverty mars formation of infant brains screamed the headline in yesterday's Financial Times.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62c45126-dc1f-11dc-bc82-0000779fd2ac.html

Paul Krugman picked it up for his column, "Poverty is Poison," in today's New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/opinion/18krugman.html?scp=2&sq=Krugma...

Surely, it comes as no surprise to learn that “many children growing up in very poor
families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress
hormones."

Now neuroscientists have found that this stress impairs children's neural development.

But the solution offered is what it's always been: provide "interventions" to counteract the damaging effects of poverty, meaning
send in middle class consultants to counsel poor parents on how to
reduce the stress in their children's lives.

I'm waiting for the unique intervention that will raise the income
level of the poor. How earth-shattering would it be for researchers and
policymakers to decide that what poor people need immediately is more
money?

There is more than a little irony here. Parents are coached on how to reduce stress at home. Then the parents send their kids to schools, with high-stress test prep.
When will researchers study what this type of schooling does to
children's neural development?