So the US is caught in a vicious circle: rising income inequality breeds more inequality in educational opportunity, which generates greater inequality in educational attainment. That, in turn, translates into a waste of human talent, a less educated workforce, slower economic growth, and even greater income inequality.
这两种家庭孩子之间随之产生的教育成就鸿沟在儿童早年开始出现，并随着时间的推移不断扩大。按照某些估算数据，这一鸿沟比20年前扩大了一倍。至此美国已经陷入了一个恶性循环：不断增长的收入失衡孕育了教育机会的更加不均等，也随之在教育成就方面催生了更大的不平等。这反过来意味着被浪费了的人类天赋，教育程度更低的劳动力群体，更缓慢的经济增长。以及更大的收入失衡。