But as religious conservatives have climbed the educational ladder, American churches seem to be having trouble reaching the people left behind.
"The myth is that there are lots of entry points in the system, ways for people to rise up, to climb the educational ladder, but the numbers tell a different story," Dr. Hersch said.
As such, they may feel no strong compulsion to climb the educational ladder.
Ms. Toussaint, now 34, arrived in New York at the age of 4, in time to start climbing the American educational ladder to medical school.
In canyoneering, a person explores a canyon from Point A to Point B using a range of techniques, including hiking, rappelling and climbing, according to the educational outdoors nonprofit Outward Bound.
The district offers a full program of naturalist-led hikes, challenging mountain biking climbs, family-friendly educational wildlife programs and equestrian nature trail rides.
The company is also looking to climb up the educational ladder and knock on the doors of the lofty, hallowed halls of higher education.
I can tell you this, after serving as Princeton's chief budget officer for nine years, climbing walls do not drive educational cost not here, not anywhere.
Google worked on the project with Kathmandu-based start-up Story Cycle and Nepalese mountaineer Apa Sherpa, who scaled Mount Everest a record 21 times before he retired from climbing and set up an educational charity.
This educational divide is a major reason that climbing the income ladder remains so hard.
