But rising income inequality explains, at best, half of the increase in the rich-poor academic achievement gap. It’s not just that the rich have more money than they used to, it’s that they are using it differently. This is where things get really interesting.
High-income families are increasingly focusing their resources — their money, time and knowledge of what it takes to be successful in school — on their children’s cognitive development and educational success. They are doing this because educational success is much more important than it used to be, even for the rich.
Once considered to be the "Great Equalizer," education is more and more becoming an institution that solidfies the status quo. The achievement gap between the poor and the rich has only increased over the years, partly because of rising income inequality, but also partly because "high-income families are increasingly focusing their resources...on their children's cognitive development and educational success." How can we as a nation and we as teachers try to close this gap?