It refers to environment, culture and experience.
The adjective form is 'helpful' if used positively and 'helpless' if used negatively
Answer:
If I'm correct, I think that you're asking how it has inevitably set students up for failure. While I don't think they've deliberately done this, there are some areas in which they need to improve.
1. Contributing to herd mentality.
2. Ignoring and choosing not to nurture the potential and learning habits of introverts (watch the TED talk by Susan Cain for a further explanation.)
3. Set us up to work and live under a preexisting corporate hierarchy. (Which is not always a bad thing)
4. Not paying enough attention to social issues regarding their students.
5. A division between the "gifted" and "ordinary students may cause the "ordinary" students to feel unworthy or lesser than their peers.
6. Not catering to different students' unique learning styles, and instead choosing to teach off of a curriculum not suitable to many students.
7. Teachers do not spend as much time as they should on the individual student, which is a result of overcrowding.
