Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

General Attitudes
The choices made by parents, teachers, and students reflected many values, of
which the desire for independence was one of the strongest. The desire for inde-
pendence appeared repeatedly during the interviews and observations. Allowing
students the freedom to dress as they wished in school and to choose courses
that matched their personal interests and goals were some of the ways in which
schools met the students’ need for independence. The large number of elective
courses in American high schools and the ability of teachers to devise their own
interpretations of the curriculum are other examples of the desire for independ-
ence that appears to characterize participants in education in the United States.
There was a great deal of optimism among students, especially among students
from middle-class families. Many expressed high academic and occupational aspira-
tions for themselves-aspirations that were sometimes unlikely to be met because
the student’s poor performance in school would limit his or her access to the
accomplishments and experience necessary for obtaining the desired schooling or
job.
We conducted this study in a time of many transitions and innovations in U.S.
school systems and of increased emphasis nationally on the improvement of edu-

---

xxi
cation. As a result of this heightened level of activity and interest in education,
we observed a degree of diversity in approaches to education that has seldom
been matched in the history of education in the United States. The next step will
be to evaluate how successfully these various approaches meet the increasing de-
mands that are being placed on U.S. schools.

---

1
Chapter 1
Rationale for the Study
By: Barbara Hofer