Final answer:
Conflict theorists believe that cultural capital and the hidden curriculum in schools reinforce existing social inequalities by preparing students to fit into the adult world and perpetuating the status quo.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to conflict theorists, the concept of cultural capital is crucial in understanding how the education system assists students to navigate their culture. Conflict theorists argue that the education system, through its formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum, rewards those with higher cultural capital and reproduces the existing class structure. Schools not only provide academic knowledge but also a hidden curriculum that imparts nonacademic knowledge through informal learning and cultural transmission. This hidden curriculum, which includes learning how to deal with bureaucracy, rules, expectations, and social interactions, prepares children to fit into the adult world and reinforces cultural and social hierarchies.