ABSTRACT
Cultural rituals, categorization of certain types of students into stock characters with attendant expectations for their roles in school and possibilities in life, and rules and regulations for making schools efficient institutions all form part of the social and cultural fabric of schooling in this country. Were we to compare schooling in the United States with that in other countries, the portrait that emerged would undoubtedly reveal some highly idiosyncratic features demonstrating the imprint of culture and historical tradition on the institution of public schooling in this country. We have already discussed how schools became like factories early in the 20th century. In this chapter, we look at other public policies related to schooling, many of them also possessing deep historical roots.
