Education has historically been viewed as a social equalizer in America, providing opportunities for even disadvantaged people to achieve success. Race was once the strongest factor in determining future outcomes, but today Stanford sociologist Sean F. Reardon says income level has become more consequential (Tavernise). President Barack Obama was one of the lucky few who was able to overcome the obstacles he faced growing up being African American and disadvantaged, but most children are not so lucky (Rampton, Nawaguna). In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, the Lacks family lived in poverty and struggled to do well in school, resulting in many of them dropping out even before high school (Skloot). The achievement gap between high- and low-income students in the United States has increased significantly in recent years (McGlynn). Students' educational outcomes are significantly affected by their home lives, and those living in poverty are much more likely to fall behind academically than children from affluent families. The fact that students from low-income families do not perform well in school is not controversial. Growing up with less money has been shown to create a significant disadvantage. Those who struggle to pay bills are often forced to cut back on food, leaving children with only cheaper, low-nutritional food, or sometimes skipping meals. This inhibits optimal brain functioning and can leave students more worried about their growling stomachs than their schoolwork (Ladd, Fiske). Low-income students face other distractions from schoolwork, including problems at home, as in the film Freedom Writers. A teacher begins a paper... middle of paper.......html?pagewanted=all.McGlynn, Angela P. "The gap between rich and poor is widening." The Digest of Education. Prakken Publications, September 9, 2013. Web. February 20, 2014. .Rampton, Roberta, and Elvina Nawaguna. “Obama's rollout plan to get more low-income kids into college.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, January 16, 2014. Web. February 23, 2014. .Skloot, Rebecca. The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, 2010. Print.Tavernise, Sabrina. “Poor people fall further behind rich people in school.” The New York Times. TheNew York Times, February 9, 2012. Web. February 22, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-show. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.