Can teachers instill self-confidence in students who aren't learning it at home?

In the New York Times Magazine on Sunday, November 26, Paul Tough's article, "What It Takes to Make a Student," examined the education achievement gap from several different angles. In particular, Tough found, crucial life skills such as self-confidence and work ethic may be more important than IQ or other factors when it comes to academic achievement -- even on standardized tests. "Middle-class children become used to adults taking their concerns seriously," he wrote, "and so they grow up with a sense of entitlement, which gives them a confidence, in the classroom and elsewhere, that less-wealthy children lack."

If this is indeed the case, what can teachers do? Can they offer students the kind of encouragement that would help shrink this cultural divide? We're interested in your opinion.