Introduction
The importance of education is emphasized by the United Nations and other international organizations. However, their efforts in ensuring access to equal opportunities do not necessarily lead to a successful outcome. The provision of this fundamental right is complicated by specific conditions of the present-day world, such as varying quality and scope of services rendered by educational institutions. From this perspective, it can be considered that the United States did not fully fulfill it for the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers.
Discrimination
The first provision that was not guaranteed to the boys from the two groups was their equality deriving from teachers’ attitudes towards them. It reflected the meaning of a societal setting in the context of education and posed a threat to these children’s future. The participants of the experiment had different characteristics, but the results of their activity were the same. In the case of the Hallway Hangers, their behavior was not socially accepted, and it affected the outcome of their study mostly due to the attitude of other people. The Brothers, in turn, were behaving adequately but were discriminated against on the grounds of race. Therefore, the United States did not provide proper education to them due to the neglect of societal factors that should have been addressed.
Social Reproduction Theory
The outcome of the negative perception of the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers by society complements the social reproduction theory. In this way, schools are viewed as institutions that do not guarantee social equality but promote the opposite attitude towards students. This situation contradicts the UN’s efforts on expanding opportunities for all without discrimination and implementation of programs to address this issue (The United Nations, 2017). Moreover, it implies educational institutions’ failure to ensure availability, accessibility, quality, and equality in education (The United Nations, 2017). Hence, the problems of the students under consideration were caused by the inability of the government to strengthen the relationships between various population groups and instill the notions of equality.
Commercialization of Education
The second provision, which was not guaranteed to the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers, was related to the difference in education quality. As children from low-income families, they were unable to access chargeable services, which adds to the current problem of American educational institutions. The tendency of division into public and private schools, supported by the states, goes against the UN’s intentions to address the potential negative impacts of the commercialization of education on fundamental human rights (The United Nations, 2017). Therefore, the United States’ failure to ensure the equal quality of services in all schools and universities contributed to the boys’ problems regarding their right to education.
Equality vs. Equity
The issue mentioned above is directly connected to the concepts of equality and equity. Their interchangeable nature allows considering them together as a mechanism regulating the provision of educational services from the perspective of fairness. Equality, which relates to the same rights, opportunities, and resources, and equity, the correspondence of such benefits to the students’ circumstances, adds to the conflict (The United Nations, 2017). Failure to comply with them jeopardizes the UN’s initiatives that are oriented on ensuring the provision of equitable education and promoting lifelong opportunities for study (The United Nations, 2017). As can be seen from the case, the non-observance of these principles leads to severe issues.
Lack of Support
The third issue resulting from the neglect of the right to education by the government is the psychological aspect of the process. The problems identified above, which are discrimination and commercialization, could have been addressed through the support of the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers by teachers. In this way, they would be more motivated to achieve better results and satisfied with the outcome of their efforts. This consideration is particularly important since a stronger motivation of the Brothers, in contrast to the one of the Hallway Hangers, did not contribute to the reception of equal opportunities and fair treatment in schools.
Aspirations/Expectations
The lack of support is directly connected to the aspirations and expectations of students. These concepts explicitly describe the importance of motivation in the studying process. However, the primary influence on a positive outcome of one’s pursuit of education is made by society. This conclusion leads to the necessity to assess all the factors contributing to academic success relating to people’s interactions. As in the case of the Brothers, their beliefs regarding the problems in education were connected to the experience of people of their race, whereas the Hallway Hangers were quite pessimistic about the matter. Nevertheless, both groups’ results were unsatisfying without the support of society, and they allow us to conclude on the latter’s significant role in schools.
Conclusion
To sum up, the principal reasons for the failure of both the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers in education are related to the United States’ incapability to comply with the initiatives of the United Nations. They include the problems with eliminating discrimination of students, providing equal rights, opportunities, and resources in each situation, and ensuring the support of people from different backgrounds by society. Thus, the government’s neglect of societal factors regarding education leads to the violation of this fundamental human right.
Reference
The United Nations. (2017). The right to education: Follow-up to Human Rights Council resolution. Web.