Families determine academic progress, and lifetime earning capacity

In a single, well-referenced article, George Will nails the causes of inequality.

Families.  And, to a lesser but still significant extent, peers.

So all of that blather about 'the Gubmint's gotta Do something about ', completely misses the point.  External agents (Governments, Councils) can do little or nothing to create a positive influence, because the roots of inequality, and hence poverty, lie deep within the oldest structures of them all:  the family, its immediate context (tribe, location, peers) and its culture (what we do around here).