History (Education)

Book cover of College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be by Andrew Delbanco
Philosophy

College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be 

The strengths and failures of the American college, and why liberal education still matters

As the commercialization of American higher education accelerates, more and more students are coming to college with the narrow aim of obtaining a preprofessional credential. The traditional four-year college experience—an exploratory time for students to discover their passions and test ideas and values with the help of teachers and peers—is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. […Learn More]

Book cover of Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic by Mark Boonshoft
History

Aristocratic Education and the Making of the American Republic

Following the American Revolution, it was a cliche that the new republic’s future depended on widespread, informed citizenship. However, instead of immediately creating the common schools–accessible, elementary education–that seemed necessary to create such a citizenry, the Federalists in power founded one of the most ubiquitous but forgotten institutions of early American life: academies, privately run but state-chartered secondary schools that offered European-style education primarily for elites. By 1800, academies had become the most widely incorporated institutions besides churches and transportation projects in nearly every state. […Learn More]