ABSTRACT
Once upon a time the U.S. education system was a sleepy backwater on the disciplinary map for students of politics. Relatively few students aspired to enroll in college, many dropped out before completing high school, and the rest were tracked into courses that satisfi ed the generally modest academic demands of employers. African Americans and Latinos attended separate schools. Boys took shop classes, and girls took home economics. Superintendents ran their schools with little interference from boards, unions, or outside interests. Despite these relatively modest aspirations and accomplishments, the U.S. outperformed virtually all other countries on most indicators of educational performance and attainment (Goldin & Katz, 2008).
