The need to involve the whole American society in education is stressed in this monograph. Education in the United States has a history of constantly attempting to accommodate the circumstances and demands of the New World. Although American education owes much to the Old World systems in areas of curriculum and stages of education, it exhibited early and decisive differences. The American system performed many services which were performed in other countries by the church, state, guilds, and families. The American secondary school trained boys for work, college, and "life," rather than strictly for university study. Often located in small towns, American colleges were small and simple, adopted open admission policies, and taught subjects which elsewhere were studied in secondary school. In the United States, all levels of education have taught conformity to the will of the democratic majority--a majority which was until quite recently a white, middle-class majority. Educational reformers, particularly during 1890-1910, suggested philosophies which schools should follow and specified functions which schools should fulfill. Results were that schools were required to do far more than they could do and they were deflected from those things they had done well in the past. Now, there is a need to bring American schools and the entire educational enterprise into harmony with the profound changes occurring in American life. (Author/DB)