ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 presents a linked literature review, documenting foundational research regarding the role of education in U.S. society. With Dewey, the foundational linkage between education as a developmental, social, and economic endeavor was established in the early 20th century. This formative framing led the way for sociological and economic inquiries into the role and function of education in an advancing society, where the construct of human capital and forms of capital vis-à-vis education were explored. The particularities of pursuing education as a rights-based endeavor emerge in the mid-20th century U.S. with the landmark Brown v. Board Decision. In this chapter, particular attention is given to the literature on economic inequality as it frames postsecondary pathways and social mobility, along with a discussion of global insights on young adult milestone attainment. From the individual focus of education as an endeavor that enhances human capital value to the engagement of systemic inequality as a force impacting educational attainment with broad repercussions for society, debates about the role of education abound. Nonetheless, with shock events, the human developmental dimensions of education move to the fore as society shifts to engage the threat shocks pose to economic and social structures.
