The writings of Gatto details the history of public educations.
Origin of our education system, you ask?
Not a problem.
“The Communist Manifesto” - Marx/Engels
“Das Kapital” - Marx
That should be a good start. </sarc>
The Worm in the Apple: How the Teacher Unions Are Destroying American Education
http://books.google.com/books?id=V8ajlBalAkEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=peter+brimelow&sig=ACfU3U3MQUir93BwWgLk0I6lq09ggJSZ0A
Check some conservative publishers like Penguin and Regenry. They’d likely have such books outlining the school systems, books, NTA, etc.
Summerhill?
First of all, Freepers Rock! :)
Secondly, you can ask your local Librarian...but ask a few ‘telling’ questions first to find one that’s NOT a Looney Liberal!
Good luck! :)
Horace Mann is called the father of public education in America. If you get a book on his life and work, it may also give you some cross-references in the notes and bibliography.
John Gatto has some great research, books.
Try “the Deliberate Dumbing Down of America” by Charlotte Iserbyt. She served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration.
Her website is http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/ and the book is available as a free download. She really gives you the paper trail (with original documents) of progressive sabotage of our education system.
Amazon.com thee a copy of “ProfScam”.
For something a bit different, “The Student As Nigger”. The students referred to are largely white students, by the way.
John Dewey is, of course, important and Antonio Gramsci as well.
http://www.howtotutor.com/sam-bks.htm
NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education
Anything by John Dewey, Democracy and Education is a good start. (The education grad schools are based on Dewey)