Education is a right

 Elgohary

Education is often described as the great equalizer—a system that rewards hard work and determination. But for millions of students in the United States, this promise is an illusion. Educational inequality continues to shape who has access to opportunity and who is systematically left behind. This inequality is not the result of individual failure; it is the consequence of structural injustice.

Students in wealthy communities are far more likely to attend well-funded schools with small class sizes, modern technology, guidance counselors, and advanced coursework. Meanwhile, students in low-income and minority communities often attend overcrowded schools that lack basic resources. These disparities are not accidental. They are produced by funding systems and policies that tie educational quality to wealth and zip code.

I first began studying educational inequality in college while taking a Social Problems course. What stood out to me was how often inequality is framed as a personal issue—students are told to “work harder” or “overcome obstacles”—while the systemic barriers they face are ignored. When we focus only on individual effort, we overlook how deeply unequal the system itself is.

Education is one of the most powerful institutions in society. It shapes how people think, communicate, and understand the world. It provides individuals with the tools to reason critically, advocate for themselves, and participate fully in civic life. When access to education is unequal, access to voice, power, and opportunity becomes unequal as well.

For me, this issue is deeply personal. As a person with a physical disability, I understand how transformative education can be when access and accommodations are provided—and how limiting it can be when they are denied. Education gave me the confidence and language to advocate for myself and others. Yet many disabled students continue to face barriers such as inadequate accommodations, low expectations, and exclusion from meaningful learning opportunities. Disability is too often overlooked in discussions of educational inequality, despite being central to it.

Educational inequality cannot be explained by a single factor such as school funding alone. Sociologist C. Wright Mills introduced the concept of the sociological imagination, which urges us to connect personal experiences with broader social structures. Through this lens, educational inequality emerges as the result of intersecting forces—race, class, disability, social status, ascription, educational attainment, and social mobility.

Students in underfunded schools are less likely to have access to college preparation resources, enrichment programs, and academic support. As a result, many capable and motivated students are unable to pursue higher education—not because they lack intelligence or ambition, but because the system was never designed to support them.

In 2026, despite ongoing conversations about equity and inclusion, educational inequality remains deeply entrenched. Poor and minority students continue to face systemic disadvantages. Disabled students continue to fight for accommodations that should be guaranteed. These realities are not temporary failures; they are the predictable outcomes of policies that prioritize privilege over equity.

Educational inequality is not inevitable. It is a policy choice. If education is truly a right, then access to quality education must not depend on race, income, disability, or zip code. Addressing inequality requires more than symbolic gestures—it requires equitable funding, inclusive policies, and a commitment to justice.

Education should be a bridge to opportunity, not a barrier. Until we confront the structural roots of educational inequality, the promise of education as an equalizer will remain unfulfilled.

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