Chapter four referred to an ideology in the very beginning that captured my attention. It was said that during the early 1800’s, the common school reformers believed that education could be used to reduce tensions between social classes and eliminate crime and poverty (pg 79). Although, theoretically, education is supposed to decrease the gap between social groups, essentially, this is not what normally happens in most societies. Though education is something that is easily attainable, sometimes people are subdued by difficult encumbrances that do not allow them to get the best education whether it be due to financial problems or social and geographical demographics. For example, a person studying at a public school versus another person that can afford to attend a private school is not going to get the same education, is probably not going to grow up to be around the same social groups and will have a harder time making any economical advancements in life. I’m not saying that this will be the case for every person but it is a common case that still occurs today. Therefore, education is one way in which social stratifications are formed. Once these tensions increase within a society, the likelihood of an increase in crime and poverty will follow.
In chapter three Curti criticized Jeffersonian thought for proposing a mainly literary education for the low and middle schools. He argued that this type of education would be of little benefit to “common folk struggling on the less fertile soils and to the frontiersmen with their peculiar problems.” He also criticized Jefferson for displaying more interest in the organization of university studies than the schools for the common folk (pg 75). These are still issues that educational facilities are facing today. While private sector schools improve, public schools are increasingly becoming worse. What can truly be done to decrease the tensions between social classes? What do these tensions say about our American education? Does this give the “common folk” any hope on a brighter future?
