How is school an agent of socialization for the government?
A public school is run and paid for by the government – the government therefor dictates what it does and how. Whether the government is overtly interested in the role of a school as a socialization agent in society is a matter for debate. It’s clear though from educational history that the intent of our compulsory public education system was partly to provide a qualified workforce for the industrial revolution of the first part of the twentieth century. (to create workers that can follow instructions explicitly, will accept authority without question, and are able to sit in one place for 6+ hours – concepts foreign to most people at that time.) A newer addition to the compulsory public education mission appeared in the mid-70’s as our society needed a functional and effective child care system that would free both parents in a family to enter the workforce. The purpose of school then extended beyond the needs of the student to learn into the needs of society for large-group supervisio
