This paper discusses how much of the gap in learning between poverty-stricken students and advantaged students in the US is related to a lack of educational resources and poor teaching quality. It discusses how some school systems have been able to overcome the challenges of poverty and how high-quality teaching can alleviate the effects of poverty. This article also recommends ways to solve the problems related to inequalities in American schools for disadvantaged students and explores successful school systems for disadvantaged students both in the US and abroad. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]