Education in America provides an essential comprehensive introduction to education in the U S from its origins to its contemporary manifestations Focusing on social inequality Kimberly A Goyette calls into question Horace Mann s famous proclamation that education is the great equalizer and examines how education stratifies students based on socioeconomic background race and gender She identifies the hidden curriculum beneath equations and grammar rules from which students may learn what is expected of them based on their anticipated roles in society Referencing school reforms such as No Child Left Behind Race to the Top and Common Core Goyette shows that education is not merely reflective of a society s views but instrumental in shaping and changing society s structure