Four models of public education conflicted during the first half of the 19th century; paternalistic and corporate voluntarism, democratic localism, and incipient bureaucracy. The models and underlying value conflicts are analyzed, revealing a growing role for schools--mediating between social change and social structure. (Author/DB)

Despite periodic reform movements, the American educational system has remained essentially unchanged since about 1885, when it was established as "universal, tax-supported, free, bureaucratically organized, class-biased, and racist." Bureaucracy emerged as the dominant structure because it is the most practical method of keeping the lower orders…

Thirteen papers which analyze the relations of work, schooling and family life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1838 to 1920, are provided in this report. The papers (and their authors) are the following: (1) "The Transition to Adulthood Among White Philadelphians, 1850-1880" (Michael B. Katz and John Modell); (2) "Work,…