Retrenchment and Reform.

The Great Depression profoundly transformed every American institution. In education it eroded significant educational advances begun during the 1920s. Schools were closed; teachers' salaries were cut; school programs were eliminated. Yet in an important sense the Depression precipitated the modernization of American schools. The political tradeoff for reduced financing of schools was increased autonomy for school administrators and teachers. Facing budget cuts, teachers organized into militant unions that in many cases successfully represented their interests. Economic consolidation led to standardization of curriculum, textbooks, and testing. The financing of school districts, which had been variable in the 1920s, was reformed and made efficient by the Depression. While the Depression had disastrous consequences for American schools, especially in the early 1930s, it was also instrumental in making...