Socioeconomic status (SES) has been widely argued to be an important predictor of students’ learning outcomes; the corollary is that low-SES students face immense challenges in their learning. The present study employed an umbrella review, comprising a thematic review and second-order meta-analysis, of 48 reviews relating SES to student learning to critically examine this argument. Results elucidate three sets of insights on the relationship between SES and student learning. First, researchers need to expand the conceptualization of SES from being an objective, individual attribute measuring hierarchical differences in access to resources to a more comprehensive construct incorporating (a) objective and subjective evaluations of (b) individual and collective SES attributes; (c) emphasizing students’ mobilization of capital; and (d) adopting a more diverse, asset-based perspective of SES. Second, the umbrella review provides a nuanced evaluation of the influence of SES in student learning. It yields a mean SES effect size of r = .22 (deemed as large with reference to educational benchmarks, expected students’ achievement gains, and percentile points in achievement tests) but SES effects may be confounded with other demographics. Third, SES needs to be examined from an ecological perspective, given the different mediating and moderating processes pertaining to SES in student learning. The results imply that policies for improving low-SES students’ learning outcomes should comprehensively address multiple factors influencing student learning and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach, enhance disadvantaged students’ access to educational opportunities and resources, affirm the strengths that disadvantaged students bring to their learning, and address structural and systemic inequalities related to poverty, classism, and segregation.

社会经济地位（SES）被广泛认为是学生学习成果的重要预测因素；由此推论，社会经济地位低的学生在学习中面临着巨大的挑战。本研究采用了一项总体综述，包括主题综述和二阶荟萃分析，对 48 篇有关 SES 与学生学习的综述进行了批判性检验，以批判性地检验这一论点。结果阐明了关于 SES 与学生学习之间关系的三组见解。首先，研究人员需要将社会经济地位的概念扩展，从衡量资源获取层次差异的客观、个人属性，扩展到更全面的结构，包括（a）客观和主观评价（b）个人和集体社会经济地位属性； (c) 强调学生的资本动员； (d) 采用更加多样化、基于资产的 SES 视角。其次，总体审查对 SES 对学生学习的影响进行了细致入微的评估。它产生的平均 SES 效应大小为r = 0.22（根据教育基准、预期学生的成绩增益和成绩测试中的百分位数，认为该效应较大），但 SES 效应可能与其他人口统计数据相混淆。第三，考虑到学生学习中与SES相关的不同中介和调节过程，需要从生态角度审视SES。 研究结果表明，改善低社会经济地位学生学习成果的政策应综合考虑影响学生学习的多种因素，避免一刀切，增加弱势学生获得教育机会和资源的机会，肯定弱势学生的优势。学生们将其带入学习中，并解决与贫困、阶级歧视和种族隔离相关的结构性和系统性不平等问题。