Although most people in the United States believe, at least theoretically, in educational equality, fewer and fewer appear to care about the resource gaps between affluent and poor schools, says Weissbourd. He illustrates these gaps with vivid descriptions of what he calls an "opulence arms race" among affluent independent schools, but points out that some well-to-do suburban public schools have also fallen into the trap of over-spending on luxuries that do not promote learning. In the meantime, middle-class and poor schools are cutting arts and sports programs, laying off teachers, and scrambling to provide basic supplies. Weissbourd calls on parents and educators to become more aware of "the frightening degree to which we are passing on and locking in inequality" and to recognize that educational equality is the heart of any healthy, just democracy.