In his attempt to broaden the range of research concerns for educational historians, author explored the meanings of education as it contributed to the making of the American character. (Editor/RK)

Describes the rise of compulsory schooling in the United States and then views this phenomenon through five different explanatory models. (Editor)

Examines interpretations of the role of social conflict in the creation of public schools and then suggests improved models of historical research to define more precisely and elegantly the relationship between conflict and consensus in American educational history. (Editor/RK)

Traces the evolution of college governance from the early eighteenth century, when church and state exercised joint control, to the mid-eighteenth century, when religious, secular, and political tensions strained the effectiveness of that model. Examines the turmoil in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (Editor/RK)

Argues that the primary function of childrens' fiction, through which a society's mood may be understood, in Jacksonian America was not entertainment but the moral education of a new generation, emphasizing social responsibility in contrast to the spirit of individual aggrandizement. (Editor/RK)

Notes that parent education is not new and traces part of its long history in this country. Concentrates primarily on the development of the first nationwide parent-education organization, which became the PTA, and on the contributions of behavioral science to its mission. (Editor/RK)

Demonstrates the role of three sources of demand for education--the demand of individuals for practical skills, the desire of groups for social solidarity and high status, and the concern of states for effective political control. (Editor/RK)

Reviews evidence that suggests that institutions of higher learning were increasingly accessible to students from less wealthy backgrounds between 1800 and 1860, that their curricula became more flexible, and that enrollments grew increasingly rapid during this period. (Editor)

Distinguishes between naturalistic and existential themes in modern psychology and outlines the empirical criteria that identify a naturalistic or Piagetian sequence. Argues that the first four stages of Kohlberg's typology meet the criteria for a naturalistic developmental sequence but the higher stages instead appear to be existential or…

Authors argued that changes in high-school characteristics like teacher experience, class size, and social composition are unlikely to change high-school effectiveness, and that holding schools accountable for one outcome is unlikely to guarantee effectiveness on another. (Editor/RK)

Authors closely examines sociologist James S. Coleman's research and public statements on the relationship between school desegregation and white school enrollment. (Editor/RK)

Teachers and students alike have happily subjected themselves to a hanging-strings experiment, only to find themselves face-to-face with their own inability to break out of standard modes of approaching learning situations. Author used the strings problem as a theme in discussing the weaknesses of exclusively systematic education. (Editor/RK)

Does the Constitution protect parents' right to pass their values along to their children? Author argues that it does, basing his contention on the language and the history of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the landmark decision that guaranteed private schools' right to do business. (Editor/RK)

The availability of seven books in the United States presented an opportunity to review recent developments in sociological work on education in Britain and to assess their significance for a wider audience. (Editor/RK)

Authors argued that from an educational perspective sex-linked genetic differences are largely irrelevant, that sex-linked cultural differences are real, but unstable and situational, and finally that bicultural blendings are beneficial and increasingly prevalent. (Editor/RK)