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William J. Reese
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America's Public Schools: From the Common School to "No Child Left Behind" (The American Moment) 1st Edition

by William J. Reese (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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William J. Reese's history of public schools in America examines why citizens have repeatedly turned to the schools to improve society and how successive generations of reformers have tried to alter the curriculum and teaching practice to achieve their goals.

Organized around two themes―education as the means for reforming American society and ongoing reform within the schools themselves―this study examines two centuries of American public education. It explores school and society in the nineteenth century, including public school growth in the antebellum and postbellum eras; competing visions of education and reform during the first half of the twentieth century; and social change and reform from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Reese emphasizes the centrality of schools in the history of reform and their persistent allegiance to traditional practices and pedagogy despite two centuries of complaint by romantics and progressives. He describes tradition as a reliable friend of public schools, despite the enormous changes that have occurred over time: the centralization of authority, professionalization of teaching staff, and the expansion of curricular offerings.

Reese's clear and accessible book is an original interpretation of the history of public elementary and secondary schools in America. It should become a standard text for future teachers as well as scholars of education.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0801881951
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0801881954
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Johns Hopkins University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 10, 2005
  6. Part of series
    The American Moment
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    6 x 1.03 x 9 inches
  9. Print length
    376 pages
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In this extraordinary book, Reese tells the complex story of American education in a form that is simple but not simplistic, mixing cogent generalizations about historical patterns with vivid accounts of individuals who were particularly influential or representative of the times. He expertly examines the American ambivalence about this institution―seen as both the answer and the source of social problems, making it both the means and the object of reform.

(David Labaree, Stanford University)

A very good introductory survey for anyone who wants to learn more about American education... Provides fresh information about familiar topics.

(Sunday Times)

This is a superb history of our public schools, one that is clearly and colorfully written.

(Don T. Martin Journal of American History)

A brilliant contribution to the field. It is a gracefully written, well-researched, and deeply engaging book that deserves a wide readership.

(Jeffrey Mirel Paedagogica Historica)

Reese has delivered in one volume an analysis as synthetic, intelligent, and importantly, deeply engaged with the most enduring issues in popular education as we are likely to encounter for some time.

(Stephen Lassonde Journal of Social History)

America's Public Schools is solid, if not perfect.

(Dave Moyar New York Journal of Books―West)

The work provides a detailed description of over two-hundred years of public schooling and explores the dual effects of public reform policy as an influence on school policy and the work of schools themselves in adapting to evolving social needs.

(Reference and Research Book News)

About the Author

William J. Reese is a professor of educational policy studies, history, and European studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; 1st edition (August 10, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801881951
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801881954
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.03 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

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William J. Reese

William J. Reese

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T. Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Definite MUST HAVE for Educators, History Buffs or those Curious
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2009
Verified Purchase
Just recently having gone back to school I deided to do my first research study on the history of education in America and immigration. Having pretty much no idea what to chose I came across this book. Boy am I glad!!! This is an outstanding book that gives an in-depth look into the history of public education in America. Reese goes all the way back to the original "common school" and covers 200+ years of history in public education.

Reese discusses major reformers - you know those poeple that were so profound that you wondered why "that" school was named after "that" person. This book tells who those reformers were and why they were so important. What is better is that Reese does not get "overly educational" on you! What is also important is how Reese illustrates just through the history alone how society and schools are intertwined.

Definitely a good book and more than what I expected. Take your time with this book to hear and see all that William J Reese is trying to show and reveal to the reader!
5 people found this helpful
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Ron Vincent
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2022
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A good introduction to the history of American education which offers a clear, linear description of the issues and landmarks. An essential book for anyone who wants to know how we arrived at this point.
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David M. Wagner
3.0 out of 5 stars Cited in a S.Ct. dissent
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
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I bought this because Justice Thomas cited it in his bracing dissent in Morse v. Frederick, but for my purposes (researching the Meyer-Pierce doctrine) I found works by Carl Kaestle and and Thomas and Lorraine Pangle for useful.
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Nathan King
1.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy and biased
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2012
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I was really looking forward to this book. As a long time educator I have often wondered about the purpose of public schools in both the past and the present and thought this book might provide a good historical context. Sadly, I must concur with most of the comments by tinder_blast. This book is completely disorganized and utterly confusing. That he "talks himself into circles and I swear he reuses passages in this book just to make it longer" is absolutely the case, and which is all the more disappointing because it is such a waste of space when covering 200 years of social, political, and economic context to explain the history of US public schools in such a short book (only 300 pages). After pages and pages of disorganized writing, unexplained conclusions, undefined concepts, and a general lack of academic criticism or balance on most of the topics I gave up. When I came to the following unsourced, unreferenced, and unexplained sentence I gave up:

"To this day, progressive educators encounter apathy, indifference, and resistance from the poor, who are often moored to tradition and suspicious of bourgeois reform."

Seriously!? That's a pretty broad, biased, and hostile brush to paint all poor people in America (and possibly the world) with and more so to put forward that conclusion with no evidence, context, or explanation (it was the end of the paragraph before moving to a new topic) is an example of the shoddy scholarship in this book. It was also just one of MANY times I wanted to ask the author "but WHY are they suspicious? WHY do they prefer the traditional practices? HOW do those practices fit into their world? WHAT did the reformers believe was WRONG with the traditional practices or the people who followed them?" Sadly, these questions are never even asked by the author. The issues with this sentence are representative of many such sentences in the book. I think it also belies the true ideological and political position of the author which comes across throughout the book but which is not explicitly stated and which is fairly hard to discern due to the disorganized nature of the book and the writing.
4 people found this helpful
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K
2.0 out of 5 stars This was not very good condition
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2021
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This is not a book review. It is about mislabeling the condition as "very good," even though it has highlights and notes written on many pages. It was mislabeled and should be "good."
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Jacqueline M Scharer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and so informative!
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2019
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A well written classic on education history!
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tinder_blast
1.0 out of 5 stars complete but not concise
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2009
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This book was so dry it was almost painful to read. I felt like the time I spent reading this book were parts of my life that are lost to me forever now. I got nothing from reading this book except frustration. Reese covers the history of American schools very well, if you can read it. He talks himself into circles and I swear he reuses passages in this book just to make it longer. He also jumps around within a time period, making it near impossible to get a clear idea of what education was like for people at one certain time.

His ability to cover the subject well dose not make up for the unpleasantness of reading this book. If you are looking for something fun to read about the schools, stay the hell away from this. If you are looking for a book for research purposes then find something more coherent.

To put this review in a frame of reference, I do not know anything about the history of American education. I am taking a class on it and was assigned this book. So, in all fairness, it may not be Reese that is convoluted and impossible to work though, but the subject itself. I find this difficult to believe, however.
4 people found this helpful
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T Bates
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2013
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Needed this book for a masters course. It was difficult to stick with reading the book. The print was small
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