An Historical Introduction to American Education

Gutek’s classic volume on the history of American education has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a twenty-first-century perspective on the development of American educational institutions. Like earlier editions, the well-researched Third Edition employs a topical approach to examine the evolution of key institutions like the common school and the high school, as well as significant movements like progressive education, racial desegregation, and multiculturalism. Primary source readings enhance and reinforce chapter content and feature new writings from Benjamin Rush, Horace Mann, Maria Montessori, W. E. B. Du Bois, John Dewey, and Jane Addams. The Third Edition’s topical organization lends itself to multiple uses in the classroom. Each chapter provides the historical foundation for the study of a contemporary topic in education, including the organization and structure of schools, the philosophy of education, early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, multicultural and bilingual education, and educational policy.