There are six oversized boxes in the New York Historical Society that contain the remains of the Public School Society (PSS), New York City's first experiment with publicly-funded education. They are filled with the detritus of the Society's nearly fifty years: recommendations for prospective teachers from their clergymen, student certificates of…

In a democratic society, the functions of public education should include at least two that are shaped by the principle of equality. These are (1) the task of socializing the young in ways appropriate to their conduct as democratic citizens; and (2) the function of providing all citizens with an opportunity to realize individual potential. The…