Equality, America is motivated by this simple word, but to what extent is America actually equal to all citizens. If we were to walk into the nearest school, not all students would receive the same equal education that Thomas Jefferson offered centuries ago. States themselves allow free and equal education; However, across family income, race, and gender, we can see that little has changed between 1776 and 2013. Yes, of course African Americans, women, and minorities can all go to school , but economic and cultural contexts prevent students from gaining real experience. equality in education. In her article, The Education Gap Grows Between the Rich and Poor, Sabrina Tavernise explains that the economic gap between high- and low-income families affects their children as students. Authors like Samuel Bowles and Herbert Ginits argue in Schooling in Capitalist America-Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life, that family income and the economy play an important role in students' ability to succeed in school. Although family income produces inequality in schools, the race and gender roles depicted in Peggy Orenstein's Schoolgirls and Signithia Fordham and John Ogbu's Black Students' School Success Coping with the "Burden of actionWhite" also contribute to inequality. inequality in schools. Authors like Sabrina, Samuel Bowles, and Herbert Ginits all explain in detail that family income plays a huge role in educational inequality, but we must also look to authors like Orenstein, Fordham, and Ogbu because they also explain how other conflicts can cause inequalities in education. schools.Tavernise highlights the most important issue in our society today. Does family income affect our students...... middle of paper...... female and black, schools do not provide equal rights to these students due to cultural divisions. Women and blacks are considered second only to typical white men, which is why in schools teachers tend to let go of these students. Minorities are considered blue-collar workers, which is why society gives them the belief that they will never emerge from their economic difficulties. Inequalities in schools start with inequalities in society. Someone who is preferably white and resides in the middle class will likely do well in school. A black woman or man will likely not be successful because of the environment around them. A student struggles to succeed while living in an economically inept neighborhood to get ahead. The only way to make school more or less equal for all races and genders is to teach them all to the same level..