Final answer:
The larger intellectual achievement gap in the United States as opposed to the smaller gap in Scandinavian countries highlights the role of socio-economic status in education, illustrating a significant achievement gap affected by varying access to resources and support.
Step-by-step explanation:
In countries like the United States with a large income gap between the affluent and the poor, academic disparities are much more pronounced when compared to countries with more equitable income distributions, such as the Scandinavian nations. This phenomenon is indicative of the strong influence that socio-economic status has on educational outcomes and is referred to as the achievement gap. Factors such as unequal access to quality education, varying levels of parental support, and stress from living in poverty affect children's cognitive development and their subsequent intellectual achievement. While resilient students, those who perform well despite disadvantaged backgrounds, are more common in top-performing countries, they are less prevalent in the United States, suggesting that equitable resource distribution profoundly impacts educational success.