“E Pluribus Unum”: American Educational Values and the Struggle for Cultural Identity

The epithet E Pluribus Unum (“one, from many”), minted on the nation’s currency, is a signpost to the American Dream of unity from diversity. The same hope also underpins much talk in the USA currently surrounding values in education. A groundswell of public desire is discernible for American society to cohere around common, core values that will bring consensus of ideas and actions, rather than the cultural fragmentation and diversification that is perceived as prevalent. One main stage on which this play is now being enacted is that of the public school system.