Schools do not create violence; in most cases, violence spills into schools from the surrounding society. In the wake of a number of school shootings in recent decades, many school districts have adopted zero-tolerance policies that require suspension or expulsion for serious misbehavior or bringing weapons on campus.

Schooling is shaped not just by patterns of inequality but also patterns of culture. In the United States, the educational system stresses the value of practical learning, knowledge that prepares people for their future jobs. This is in line with what the educational philosopher John Dewey (1859–1952) called progressive education, having the schools make learning relevant to people’s lives. Students seek out subjects of study that they believe will give them an advantage when they are ready to compete in the job market.

To most people, it may seem that family life is important, but so many other things—getting a good education, establishing a career and, in one way or another, making the world a better place—matter more. In fact, just 34 percent of respondents endorsed the first statement, and 64 percent endorsed the second. As we have seen, the rate of marriage in the United States recently hit a fifty-year low, and people who do marry are now doing so considerably later in life.

Cultural norms—and often laws—identify people as suitable or unsuitable marriage partners. Some marital norms promote endogamy, marriage between people of the same social category. Endogamy limits potential partners to people who share some trait that society considers important, including being of the same religion, social class, village, race, or age.