Synopses & Reviews
This book addresses an often-overlooked aspect of American education: the development of schools in large cities. John L. Rury introduces and highlights the most significant and classic essays dealing with urban schooling in this collection. Touching upon each of the country's principal geographic regions,
Urban Education in the United States provides an introduction to critical themes in the history of city schools, framing each section with an overview of the major issues in urban education during particular periods in US history. This is an essential collection for students in urban education, the history of education, and American history.
Review
"John Rury has produced a gem of a book about American urban education. Bracketed by Rury's graceful introduction and epilogue, the essays in this volume extend across the entire history of the Republic. Arguably, urban schools today face greater obstacles and challenges than at any previous point in our nation's past. Yet we cannot hope to solve our contemporary woes if we continue to ignore their historical roots. I wish every American would read this book, which provides illuminating snapshots of the past--and sobering omens for the future."--Jonathan Zimmerman, Director, History of Education Program, New York University
Synopsis
Urban Education in the United States examines the development of schools in the large cities of the USA. John Rury, a well-known historian of education, introduces and highlights the most significant and classic essays dealing with urban schooling in this collection. Urban Education in the United States will provide an introduction to critical themes in the history of city schools and will frame each section with an overview of urban education research during particular periods in US history.
About the Author
John L. Rury is chair of the Department of Teaching and Leadership and professor of education at the University of Kansas. He is author or editor of several books, including
Education and Social Change: Themes in the History of American Schooling.
Table of Contents
ntroduction: The Development of Urban Education in the United States--John L. Rury * Part I: The Origins of Urban School Systems * Common Schools before the "Common School Revival": New York Schooling in the 1790s--Carl F. Kaestle * The Origins of Public Education in Baltimore, 1825-1829--Tina H. Sheller * Popular Education in Nineteenth Century St. Louis--Selwyn K. Troen *
Part II: Early Urban School Reform * Bureaucracy and the Common School: The Example of Portland, Oregon, 1851-1913--David B. Tyack * Urban Reform and the Schools: Kindergartens in Massachusetts--Marvin Lazerson * Progressivism and Curriculum Differentiation: Special Classes in the Atlanta Public Schools, 1898-1923--Barry Franklin *
Part III: The Evolution of Urban School Leadership and Politics * Taxation and Social Conflict: Teacher Unionism and Public School Finance in Chicago, 1898-1934--Marjorie Murphy * Missing the Mark: Intelligence Testing in the Los Angeles Public Schools, 1922-32--Judith Raftery * The Politics of Educational Retrenchment in Detroit, 1929-1935--Jeffrey Mirel *
Part IV: Urban Challenges in the Postwar Era * Bureaucratic Order and Special Children: Urban Schools, 1950s-1960s--Joseph L. Tropea * Race, Space, and the Politics of Chicago's Public Schools: Benjamin Willis and the Tragedy of Urban Education--John L. Rury * The Community is Beginning to Rumble: The Origins of Chicano Educational Protest in Houston, 1965-1970--Guadalupe San Miguel *
Part V: Urban Schools in Contemporary History * After the Fall: Detroit, 1981-1995--Jeffrey Mirel* The Milwaukee Voucher Experiment--John F. Witte * High Stakes in Chicago--Brian Jacobs *
Epilogue: Past as Prologue: The Uncertain Future of Urban Schooling