Final answer:
The conflict perspective on education is most associated with the belief that education reinforces and perpetuates societal inequality, as opposed to contributing to universal educational opportunities for all.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ideas that inequality in society interferes with achieving universal educational opportunity and that education can perpetuate inequality are most associated with the conflict perspective on education. This perspective critiques the educational system for reinforcing and perpetuating social inequalities that arise from differences in class, gender, race, and ethnicity. Conflict theorists argue that instead of reducing social inequality, education systems in fact preserve the status quo by pushing people of lower status into obedience and maintaining existing social hierarchies.
On the other hand, functionalists see education as a necessary component that prepares individuals for their roles in society. Feminist theory focuses on how sexism in education prevents women from achieving full social equality, while symbolic interactionism examines the subtleties of classroom dynamics and its effects on individuals' self-concept and social status.