Social class has a significant effect on the lifestyle of all Americans. But what does it really mean to be part of the lower, middle or upper classes? These social class divisions are defined by aspects such as family income and lifestyle; however, education plays an important role in determining social class. This does not mean that it will determine success in life, but interpreting it, many people with higher education usually also have a higher income. Those from the upper classes have higher standards in education and career aspirations, unlike those from the lower and middle classes. In addition to differentiating the aspirations of individuals from each social class, it also serves to determine who will go to university, depending on who can afford it or if they do not have other priorities that may get in the way. There are approximately “20 percent of Americans in the lower class” (Long, Social Class Stratification, 18). Unlike those 20% of Americans and the other 80%, there are many differences when it comes to learning in the classroom. According to Lee Warren of Harvard University, "In many parts of the country, class differences are sharply defined by accent: people speak like the neighborhood they come from" (Class in the Classroom, 2) so than someone from a more “ruled” background. The “down” neighborhood may have a less sophisticated vocabulary, simply because they don't speak like that on a daily basis. However, this is all stereotypical. People “wrongly anticipate the knowledge or potential of specific classes of children” and, as a result, “children from wealthy families are sometimes considered more intelligent than those from lower social classes” (Social Class-Effects 1), which is not the case. true at all. The amount of mo...... middle of paper ......students in high-poverty schools. Indeed, low-income students who were fortunate enough to attend more affluent schools performed on average more than six months better than middle-income students who attended high-poverty schools” (Kahlenberg, Middle Class Schools for All 2). From this data, it is clear that school type is what matters most, not income. Social income class should not be used to determine their intelligence, but only to announce their annual salary. Social class is a determinant used to define a family's situation in terms of salary and socio-economic status. However, it is used to determine what will be offered to the family, such as the type of school each child will attend. But what it does not determine is the academic success of that student. Money can still buy college, but it won't buy literacy..