The Past, Present and Future of public education in the United States of America
THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Summary/Abstract: Public education is a necessary ingredient for the development of any society today. Whether we talk about economic, social or political development, public education is at the heart of all types of development. Without it, only the well-off can afford to educate their children, leading to increased and continued social, economic, and by consequence political inequality, which in turn affect all of society, including the elites. In order to understand what the situation of public education is today and how we can best improve it, we must look at the past and analyze how public education developed over time. This paper tries to briefly survey the history of public education in the United States. It tries to make the point that in order to implement a successful educational reform in America today, first a comprehensive understanding of public education as a social institution and not merely as a state institution is needed. Moreover, looking at countries that have successfully reformed their educational systems over the past few decades is also necessary.

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