Education inequities have been rampant in the United States for the past four centuries. Despite the portrayal of education as a tool for empowerment, enlightenment, and economic mobility for all, the precious commodity of education has been elusive for scores of citizens. Historically, the divides in educational opportunities have usually fallen along racial, gender, religious, and social class lines. An examination of the history of schools in this country reveals the manner in which they have always been designated as an institution for those of privilege, power, and influence beginning with the common school movements as early as the 1830s (Coleman 1967; Ehman 1980; Spring 2006).
It is important to note that education is not a discipline that can stand alone without an historical, political, economic, and social/cultural context (Rothstein 1993). A closer examination of early schools in the US shows that they frequently served as spaces for indoctrination underscored by political, economic, and social notions that benefited those in power. One of the political rationales behind the creation of schools was to create future political leaders, create a political consensus among citizens, maintain political power, and socialize individuals for political systems and civic participation (Cremin 1957; Ehman 1980; Gordon 1961). Conversely, economics have undoubtedly played a role in the creation of schools. From the exploitation of free labor from enslaved Africans, the indentured servitude of indigenous populations, the use of human resources to build economic infrastructure has been consistent in the US financial evolution. Schools have played an integral role in the socialization of young minds about the necessity to maintain economic arrangements despite the seemingly inhumane ramifications that were associated with economic and political expansion (Anyon 1988).
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Johnson, E., Howard, T.C. (2008). Issues of Difference Contributing to US Education Inequality. In: Holsinger, D.B., Jacob, W.J. (eds) Inequality in Education. CERC Studies in Comparative Education, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2652-1_19
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