<p>Of course you can find exceptions to the rule, and geniuses coming from all sorts of backgrounds. However, I think overall it's hard to dispute that any child is better off being able to go to a well-funded school that has good teachers, new textbooks, small class sizes, from the time they are in kindergarten. And any high school student is better off having AP or honors classes available in all subjects. What should be done about the disparities in home environment, I'm not sure. But I think our government definitely has a duty to improve/equalize public schools. With regards to the idea of students performing best when they are in environments with people similar to them where they feel comfortable, there is some evidence to support that concept. I recently read a good book about segregation in the US written by a prominent professor at UChicago, that suggested forced integration would not solve any problems. That is why I support equalization of the public education system over vouchers or another system requiring students to leave their communities.</p>