Implementing human rights in Kansas to ensure equal educational opportunities for Spanish speakers

Abstract

This thesis is about Spanish speakers in Kansas and whether their right to an education is being guaranteed. It is understood that the state of Kansas has not enacted legislation to make education a fundamental human right. However, this thesis explains that since human rights exist for all, regardless of the constitutional frameworks in which a person lives, everyone has the right to equal educational opportunities. Chapters one and two describe the human rights that we all hold, including the right to education. Chapters three through five then explain how poverty, poorly funded schools and discrimination on the basis of language all impede Hispanics from accessing their right to an education. This thesis concludes that to ensure the right to an education for Hispanics, we must implement non-discriminatory practices in all levels of government and in our communities.