Education is a major component of an individual's future success in today's society. The traditional model we are taught to follow is to get good grades in high school so that we can get accepted into a good college in order to get a good, well-paying job. However, if the main building blocks of our education are hampered in some way by sociological influences, it would be correct to assume that our future success would also be affected. An example of a situation where sociological aspects impact the education system can be found right here in the city of Lowell. According to the United States Census Bureau, the median household income for the year 2012 was approximately $51,714 per year, compared to the average income in all of Massachusetts which was approximately $66,658 per year. Additionally, in 2012, the number of people living below the poverty line was 17.3 percent, which is significantly higher than the Massachusetts average of 11.0 percent. Lowell is known for being an urban environment and a city populated by many different and diverse types of people. However, the City of Lowell is home to a large population that, by today's standards, is considered living below the poverty line. ("US Census Bureau") In order to understand how these sociological concepts impact the education of Lowell's children as well as their future success, it is important to understand exactly what these sociological concepts are and what their implications are. presence. First, we need to define the concept of stratification. In the case of Lowell's educational systems, there is a clear case of social stratification. Social stratification is “structured inequality between groups, it can be based on economic status, gender, race,...... middle of article......psychology, 18(4 ), 363-372. doi: 1939-0106 McWayne, C., Cheung, K., Green Wright, LE, and Hahs-Vaughn, DL (2012). Patterns of school readiness in preschool children: Significant within-group variability during the transition to kindergarten. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(3), 862-878. doi: 1939-2176Bassok, D. (2010). Do Black and Hispanic Children Benefit More from Preschool? Understanding differences in preschool effects across racial groups. Child Development, 81(6), 1828-1845. doi: 0009-3920 United States Census Bureau, (nd). United States Census Bureau: Quick facts about states and counties. Data derived from population estimates, American community surveys, population and housing censuses, county business models, economic censuses, business owner surveys, business licenses build, government censuses from the United States Census Bureau. The Jumpstart solution. (2014).