Index IntroductionEducational inequality and the American dreamAnalysis of experiences of educational inequalitySocial stratification as a privilegeConclusionReferencesIntroductionSocial stratification occurs everywhere and in every aspect of life. Sometimes we simply don't notice their presence, including the presence of social stratification in the American education system. According to the article Inequality holds back economies. Education could be one of them: American education is described as not being equally accessible to students from different classes. Students whose parents are wealthy have a better opportunity to get a better degree and career than low-income students who suffer from educational inequality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Educational Inequality and the American Dream Although the ideal culture in the United States is that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to move up the social class ladder, Americans experience unequal access to the education system. According to a survey by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, about 90 percent of high-achieving high school graduates enroll in college, while only 60 percent of students from low-income families enroll in college. As a result, the American dream may be dead due to educational inequality. The article illustrates how American education is trending toward inequality by comparing two students who grew up in two opposing contexts. Greenberg, now a music professor, grew up in a wealthy family. Growing up, she had many options in choosing a private high school and college she wanted to go to. He chose Brown University and had his tuition paid in full by his parents. He didn't even think too much about it when he decided to major in music. He earned his two masters debt-free. In contrast, Jackson was raised by a single mom in a black neighborhood. He had no direction to apply to colleges and ended up attending a community college. While attending school, he also worked in a restaurant and commuted an hour and a half to work every day. He then dropped out and was $2000 in debt. This reverse shows that students from low-income families are more likely to have difficulty achieving higher education. Analyzing Experiences of Educational Inequality So, what causes Jason and Greenberg's educational experiences to be so different? Their education and success are strongly linked to their family's social stratification. In terms of sociological concepts, social stratification is caused by many factors and viewed differently in each sociological theory. In this essay I will analyze four concepts to explain the existence of social stratification. They are ideology, structural functionalism, power and prestige. First of all, the social ideology of the working class results from their perception of what is right and what is not right. Even if working class people like Jason's mother have an unpleasant working condition, they are likely to believe that their social status is fair. The fact that she and her son live in a black neighborhood is right for her. The people above her deserve wealth. This thought makes her easily accept her social status and suppresses her hope and efforts to work harder to rise to the top. As a result, social stratification becomes even more significant. Subsequently, based on structural functionalism,.