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Summary: This text is a companion volume to the four-part PBS documentary series of the same name. Essays by five historians of American education examine the history of the American public school system, from colonial times to the present. They consider a variety of issues faced by educators, parents, politicians and voters over the decades, including state versus local control, educating non-English speakers, specialized vocational tracks, approaches to school integration, the use of intelligence and standardized tests to assess academic potential, the challenges to providing the same quality of education to districts of varying socio-economic levels. Serious writing, but accessible to general readers interested in public education. c. Book News Inc.