Blackwell Reference Online

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The rise of a common school system in nations around the world provides some evidence for a sociological theory of educational origins and expansion focused on socialization and social organization. While more functional arguments often point to the need for a well-trained workforce as the driving force in the rise of public education, a more sociological interpretation argues that modernizing countries, facing increased social differentiation, must transfer the socialization task from families to an institution like schools ( Dreeben 1968 ). Another aspect of this argument is that with modernization, increased individualism also occurs, and a common school system is needed to promote national citizenship and induction into a general collectivity ( Ramirez & Meyer 1980 ). Current empirical evidence does not provide conclusive support for any one theory of why developing nations promote a free education system. However, in countries where this ideology of minimizing social differentiation and creating good citizens exists, this theory appears plausible. In France, for example, public education was first proposed by Enlightenment philosophers in the late 1700s in line with goals of universal citizenship and order ( Alexander 2000 ). In the United States, common schools were established to provide a free, state-controlled education system for all citizens in line with the ideological ... log in or subscribe to read full text