UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF USA

The following report has been drafted by Broken Chalk as a stakeholder contribution to the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review [UPR] for the United States of America (USA or U.S.). As Broken Chalk’s focus is on combating human rights violations within the educational sphere, the contents of this report and the following recommendations will focus on the Right to Education.

According to the latest available data from the World Bank, 81.4% of individuals in the USA’s population have achieved at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional literacy skills proportionally. The literacy percentage increased to 90.3% when examining only individuals with a high socioeconomic classification and decreased to 59.4% when examining only individuals with a low socioeconomic classification. Additionally, the literacy rate further increased to 83.9% relative to the mean level when the data was solely focused on individuals without an immigrant background. In contrast, the literacy rate dropped significantly to 67.2% when only individuals from an immigrant background were accounted for. i

Home to the top universities and tertiary education institutions around the globe, the United States of America performs slightly better than the OECD average for tertiary enrollment among individuals aged between 25 and 34, with 46% to 41% for men and 56% to 54% for women, respectively. However, when examining educational attainment for all individuals aged between 25 and 64, the USA performs significantly better than the OECD average of 40% attainment of tertiary-level education, with 50% of American individuals having obtained a tertiary-level educational degree. ii

The metrics on high degrees of educational attainment are further emphasised with figures such as an impressive 8% of American individuals aged between 25 and 64 not having completed at least an upper secondary education in 2022, in comparison to the OECD average of 20% of individuals aged between 25 and 64 not having completed at least an upper secondary level education. iii Evermore impressive, the percentage of individuals aged between 25 and 34 without an upper secondary education attainment decreased by 3% between 2016 and 2023, and with a measurement of 6%, it is eight percentage points below the OECD average in 2023. iv

As many countries across the globe have been negatively affected in the education sector from the COVID-19 pandemic, some even experiencing a double-digit decrease in the share of international students in tertiary education, the USA stands as an essential outlier with the share of international students remaining stable from 2019 to 2022, at 5% of all tertiary students. v

A significant amount of investment in education comes from the public sector globally, particularly in compulsory or primary education. The United States is no exception, with 93% of investment in primary institutions coming from the state. The U.S. has also sustainably spent around 5.8% of its national GDP on primary education institutions from 2016 to 2021, slightly above the broad OECD average of 4.9% during the same period.

Although private expenditure towards the sustaining of pre-primary and tertiary educational institutions is the global norm, the United States has a lower share of public expenditure, 81%, towards pre-primary institutions when compared to the OECD average of 86%, and a significantly lower share of public expenditure of 39% when compared to the OECD average of 68%. vi

 

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50th_Session_UN-UPR_USA
References

 

i World Bank. Education Statistics – All Indicators Databank. (June 25, 2024).  

ii Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. “Education at a Glance 2023 Country Note: United States.” OECD Publishing, (2023): https://doi.org/10.1787/044e6d2c-en 

iii Ibid. 

iv Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. “Education at a Glance 2024 Country Note: United States.” OECD Publishing, (2024)

v Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. “Education at a Glance 2023 Country Note: United States.” OECD Publishing, (2023): https://doi.org/10.1787/044e6d2c-en  

vi Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. “Education at a Glance 2024 Country Note: United States.” OECD Publishing, (2024).  

Featured Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Silencing Minds: The Violation of Basic Human Rights Through School Censorship

Written by Leticia Cox

Efforts by US states to ban school curricula offering historically accurate accounts of racism in the United States is an attack on fundamental human rights and the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Image by Leticia Cox.

Education is critical in shaping individuals’ understanding of the world and fostering a just and equitable society. Denying students access to accurate and comprehensive information about racism undermines their ability to grasp the full extent of historical injustices and perpetuates systemic discrimination.

“The May 3 Day of Action in support of the freedom to learn underscores that children and adults have fundamental rights to education and to access accurate information,” said Alison Parker, deputy US director at Human Rights Watch. “Attacks on education are attacks on US democracy because they ban access to the information that motivates voting and political participation.”

Historically accurate accounts of racism provide students with a broader perspective on the development of American society, shedding light on the experiences of marginalised communities and the struggles they have faced. These curricula examine topics such as slavery, segregation, and the civil rights movement, and they are essential for a complete understanding of US history. By learning about the historical roots of racism, students can better comprehend the current social and racial inequalities.

‘One of the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, gives everyone residing in the United States the right to hear all sides of every issue and to make their own judgments about those issues without government interference or limitations. The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with whomever they choose, and gather to ask the government to make changes in the law or correct the wrongs in society.’ 

Banning the teaching of these subjects not only distorts history but also eternalises a cycle of ignorance and prejudice. Students shielded from confronting the truth about racism are deprived of the opportunity to develop empathy and critical thinking skills necessary for active participation in a diverse and inclusive society. By denying students access to accurate information, these bans undermine the principles of academic freedom and hinder the development of a well-informed citizenry.

A crowd protesting then U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos in 2017. Photo by Ted Eytan.

Furthermore, such bans on teaching accurate accounts of racism affect marginalised communities and perpetuate systemic inequalities. People of colour, who have historically been the victims of racism, have a right to see their experiences and contributions acknowledged in the curriculum. By erasing or downplaying the history of racism, these bans silence marginalised voices and contribute to a culture of exclusion and inequality.

The right to education is a fundamental human right recognised internationally. It encompasses not only the access to education but also the content and quality of education. States should provide an inclusive and comprehensive education that enables students to understand and respect the diversity of human experiences. Banning historically accurate accounts of racism contradicts this obligation and undermines the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Efforts to ban curricula offering historically accurate accounts of racism must be challenged and resisted. Educators, activists, and advocates must defend the right to education, promote inclusive curricula, and ensure that students have a genuine and nuanced understanding of history. By doing so, we can strive to create a society that confronts its past, acknowledges its flaws, and actively works towards a more just and equitable future for all.

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/03/us-school-censorship-violates-basic-human-rights

https://libguides.pima.edu/bannedbooks/history