ABSTRACT
Education in the United States has radically evolved over the 250 years of our existence as a nation state. It has progressed from an almost exclusively private system, open primarily to the wealthy, to one of the earliest and most vibrant systems of universal public education, with a relatively modest private school sector. However in the last 20 years, that public sector system has undergone considerable change. While it is yet based primarily on residential assignment to traditional public schools, the role of the individual through private decisions is resurgent and the education system is currently headed toward a more equal partnership of state and market control.
