Hopes are high because the package is unique. The federal and state governments are investing 20 billion euros over the next ten years in the Starting Opportunities program for Germany’s schools to help disadvantaged children. And it is urgently needed: parents’ income and level of education still determine the child’s success in the German education system. This has been known for more than 20 years and hardly anything has improved. School buildings are dilapidated, teachers are missing, and the performance of many students has deteriorated.