ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the linkages between human rights and educational opportunity and exploring ways researchers can engage as partners with government agencies and universities as they evolve new strategies for meeting the access challenge. The moral aspects of the logic have been questioned by economists, but arguments for expanding college access have too seldom been interwoven in the discourses on human rights and capabilities. Human capital theory took shape post-world war II in the United States and Western Europe as nations rebuilt their social and economic infrastructures. The global period has ushered in greater global competition among universities internationally, as well as a push to expand college access within the United States as a means of improving global economic competitiveness. Using the concept of social justice in education policy and reform provides a basis for balancing equity and fairness with concerns about accountability and efficiency in education reform.
