Social class has a great effect on the lifestyle of all Americans. But what does it really mean to be part of the lower, middle or upper class? These social class divisions are defined by aspects such as family income and lifestyle; however, education plays an important role in determining one's social class. This does not mean that it will determine success in life, but to interpret, many people with higher education usually also have a higher income. Those in the upper class have higher standards for education and career aspirations in contrast to those in the middle and lower classes. In addition to differentiating the aspirations of individuals of each social class, it is also used to determine who will go to college, depending on whether they can afford it or have no other priorities that might hinder them. There are approximately “20% of Americans in the lower class” (Long, Social Class Stratification, 18). Unlike these 20% of Americans and the other 80% there are many differences when it comes to learning in the classroom. According to Lee Warren of Harvard University, “In many parts of the country, class differences are sharply defined by accent: people speak like the neighborhood they come from” (Class in the Classroom, 2), where those who come from a more run-down environment might have a less sophisticated vocabulary, just because they don't speak that way on a daily basis. However, this is all formulaic. People “falsely anticipate the knowledge or potential of specific classes of children” and as a result “children from upper-class families are sometimes considered more intelligent than those from lower social classes” (Social Class Effects 1), the which is not right at all. The amount of middle-class students in high-poverty schools. In fact, low-income students who were given the opportunity to attend more affluent schools performed better, on average, for more than six months than middle-income students who attended high-poverty schools” (Kahlenberg, Middle Class Schools for All 2). From these data it is clear that what matters most is the type of school and not income. A person's social income class should not be used to determine his intelligence, but only to advertise his annual salary. Social class is a determining factor used to define a family's position in terms of salary and socioeconomic status. However, it serves to determine what will be offered to the family, for example the type of school each child will attend. But what it does not determine is the success of the student's attainment of an education. Money can still buy a college education, it won't buy literacy.