Chapter 5 - Public Education since 1914

Summary

Once the political will was mustered to launch universal primary education, adults’ years of school not only grew, but became progressively more equal. The data on years of school worldwide since 1870 show “convergence, big time” in schooling attainment in all countries. This growth and leveling of schooling was, again, dominated by the rise of tax-based public schools. Since before 1914 the Americans were leaders in the quantity of schooling, as measured by years of enrollment and of adults’ accumulated education. Yet as best one can tell from indirect and circumstantial evidence, the United States never led the world in the quality of primary and secondary education.