Compulsory Schooling and Socialization: Case Law

Compulsory school attendance laws vary by state, but essentially require children to attend public school or receive an acceptable educational alternative. Controversy over compulsory schooling stems largely from tension between parental rights and the interest of the state. State governments have used compulsory attendance laws to promote a variety of social welfare efforts, and generally the courts have upheld the rights of the state in mandating education over challenges based on religious or personal freedoms. Scholarship in the field of curriculum studies has focused not only on the historical evolution of compulsory schooling case law, but also on the impact of social agendas on the curriculum. As mandatory school attendance laws evolved over the 20th century, curriculum scholars point to fundamental shifts in what was ...