Assessment, Bureaucracy, and Consolidation: The Issues Facing Schools Today

American education has changed dramatically over the last century. The small, locally controlled school, supported by a concerned educational village fostered learning, personal accountability, patriotism and economic growth for a young nation. Today, however, American schools are typically large, consolidated, bureaucratic organizations controlled by state and/or municipal governments. The administration of these schools is hierarchical and corporate in form while its curriculum is oriente...