This book is a comprehensive history of American education from 1945 to 1980--its social and political context, the influences that shaped educational policy, and the effects of those policies on schools and colleges. Chapter 1, "Postwar Initiatives," describes the state of education immediately following World War II, and the steps taken by the federal government to meet the challenges posed by the baby boom, rapid economic growth, and the pre-existent inequities in educational opportunity. Chapter 2 describes "The Rise and Fall of Progressive Education" before and after the war. Chapter 3, "Loyalty Investigations," describes the detrimental effect on education of the McCarthy era and the historical context of the "red-baiting hysteria" that affected the nation in the early fifties. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the topic of race and education, in the context of the "Brown vs. Board of Education" decision (1954) and the Civil Rights Act (1964) respectively. Chapter 6, "From Berkeley to Kent State," describes the challenges posed to academic freedom by the student radicalism of the sixties, and chapter 7, "Reformers, Radicals, and Romantics," discusses the open education movement that arose during the same era. The concluding chapter, "The New Politics of Education," describes a panoply of influences on education from 1975 to 1980. An epilogue summarizes the evolution of education in American society from 1945 to 1980. "Notes," arranged by chapter, "A Note on Sources," and an extensive "Index" complete the book. (TE)