7th Edition

Education and Social Change Contours in the History of American Schooling

By John L. Rury, Sylvia L. Mendez Copyright 2025
272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

This concise, interpretive history of American schooling focuses on the evolving relationship between education and social change. Like its predecessors, this fully updated new edition investigates the impact of social forces such as industrialization, urbanization, immigration, globalization, and cultural conflict on the development of schools and other educational institutions. It also... Read more

Preface 

Acknowledgements 

Introduction: History, Social Change, And Education  

1. Colonial America: Religion, Inequality And Revolution  

2. Emergence Of A Modern School System: The 19th Century  

3. Ethnicity, Gender, And Race: Contours Of Social Change In The 19th Century  

4. Growth, Reform And Differentiation: The Progressive Era  

5. Education, Equity And Social Policy: Postwar America To The 1970s  

6. Globalization, Human Capital, and Accountability: From "A Nation At Risk" To Neo-Liberal Reform and NCLB 

Epilogue: Education And Social Change In Perspective 

References 

Index 

Biography

John L. Rury is Emeritus Professor in the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas, USA.

Sylvia L. Mendez is Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky, USA.

Praise for the Previous Edition: 

"Its adept treatment of historical developments with interpretive themes is accomplished in a remarkably concise and accessible manner."  

Sevan Terzian, University of Florida, USA 

"I really like the book’s central question: do schools change society or does society change schools? While students quickly realize the answer is ‘both,’ this interplay throughout the text works nicely for me. It also supports well another central question that I usually emphasize: the ‘education for what purpose’ question."  

Monica McKinney, Meredith College, USA 

"I would recommend this book to all educators, administrators, and researchers interested in the historical influences on education and social change. This book is especially important for state, local, and federal policy makers to reexamine the damages of history on marginalized groups." 

Education Review