Well-off families are ruled by calendars, with children enrolled in ballet, soccer and after-school programs, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Students can match the performance of their foreign counterparts, but the American institutions do offer students from rich and poor families alike the chance to realize their full potential.
He was taken back to his own childhood as he stared at the older man, remembering one brief setback in his wealthy life when his father had very nearly lost everything.
Among the millions with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage level, the overwhelming majority are from multiple-earner, relatively affluent families.
The above chart shows this graphically, with wealthier, more advanced nations clustered at the top, and poorer, less developed nations clustered at the bottom.
Richer nations say their greenhouse gas emissions have started to drop, and most of the growth in emissions will come from poor nations starting to industrialize.