| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 93.3

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 188 words from this article are provided below; about 384 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:: • Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 93.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

America's Public Schools: From the Common School to "No Child Left Behind." By William J. Reese. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. xiv, 355 pp. Cloth, $50.00, ISBN 0-8018-8195-1. Paper, $21.95, ISBN 0-8018-8196-X.)
This is a superb history of our public schools, one that is clearly and colorfully written. The literary style of the author contrasts sharply with other comparable histories of education, some of which tend to be pedantic, if not downright boring. This book, I predict, will be well received by most students, particularly those in the liberal arts majoring in the social sciences and humanities; I plan to use it as one of three required textbooks in my graduate-llevel History of United States Education course in the fall.	1
As with any publication, reviewers inevitably find portions they have issues with, and this book is no exception. Although it is exceptionally comprehensive on the history of public schools—said another way, it covers nearly everything you need to know about schools—it is too brief on the social, economic, cultural, and political contexts in which schools have evolved over the past two centuries.	. . .

There are about 384 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.