School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives: 2026 Release ISE

1: Introduction: Understanding School and Society

2: Liberty and Literacy: The Jeffersonian Ideal

3: School as a Public Institution: The Common-School Era

4: Social Diversity and Differentiated Schooling: The Progressive Era

5: Diversity and Equity: Schooling Girls and Women

6: Diversity and Equity: Schooling and African Americans

7: Diversity and Equity: Schooling and American Indians

8: National School Reform: The Early Cold War Era

9: Liberty and Literacy Today: Contemporary Perspectives

10: Teaching in a Public Institution: The Professionalization Movement

11: Differentiated Schooling, Labor Market Preparation, and Contemporary School Reform: The Post-Cold War Era

12: Diversity and Equity Today: The Challenge

13: Diversity and Equity Today: Meeting the Challenge

14: School and Society: Teaching and Teacher Leadership in the 21st Century

Notes

Glossary

Photo Credits

Index

School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives offers a rich and comprehensive exploration of the evolution of education in the United States. The text focuses on the dominant political, philosophical, and cultural ideologies of each historical era. The authors use a variety of pedagogical methods to tell an engaging historical story about school and society that will encourage students to create an educational philosophy of their own. This material will help prepare educators to reflect critically on their teaching practices in social and institutional contexts. Primary source readings are found throughout the text, to make the content come alive for students.