The American School 1642 - 2004

This current, comprehensive history of American education is designed to stimulate critical analysis and critical thinking by offering alternative interpretations of each historical period. The point of view taken by this text emphasizes 1) the role of multiculturalism and cultural domination in shaping U.S. schools, 2) the position of the school as one of many institutions that manage the distribution of ideas in society, 3) racism as a central issue in U.S. history and U.S. educational history, and 4) economic issues as an important factor in understanding the evolution of U.S. schools.

Joel Spring received his Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin. He is currently a Professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His great-great-grandfather was the first Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory and his grandfather, Joel S. Spring, was a local district chief at the time Indian Territory became Oklahoma. He currently teaches at Queens College of the City University of New York.

His major research interests are history of education, multicultural education, Native American culture, the politics of education, global education, and human rights education. He is the author of over twenty books and the most recent are How Educational Ideologies are Shaping Global Society; Education and the Rise of the Global Economy; The Universal Right to Education: Justification, Definition, and Guidelines; Globalization and Educational Rights; and Educating the Consumer Citizen: A History of the Marriage of Schools, Advertising, and Media.