Final answer:
From the conflict perspective, schools preserve and perpetuate existing social inequalities based on class, gender, race, and ethnicity, by maintaining the status quo and training students to adhere to their societal roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conflict perspective in social studies does not view schools as an institution that brings about social equality. Instead, conflict theorists argue that the educational system serves to reinforce and perpetuate social inequalities. These inequalities are evident in the way educational institutions reflect disparities based on class, gender, race, and ethnicity. Educational methods and the content taught within schools tend to preserve the status quo and maintain existing power structures.
From the conflict perspective, schools have the role of training working-class students to remain in their lower social positions through the unequal distribution of resources and standardized testing. Furthermore, the way history is taught often excludes the experiences of marginalized groups, which in turn upholds the dominant culture's version of history.