Task to Aid Self-Esteem Lifts Grades for Some

I am very skeptical that something so simple (having students do short writing prompts about their values) could have such a large impact, but it seems that this study brings ups some interesting ideas and makes me wonder if there are some small changes I could make to improve some student's performance without having to face the Herculean task of changing all the inequities in the world. Basically, this article made me think of the saying "Don't do nothing because you can't do everything." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/science/17esteem.html?_r=1