"In performing these functions,
especially the last, American education has shifted toward a more explicit
vocational emphasis, functioning as a link in occupational mobility between
generations. High schools, as well as colleges and universities, have been
reshaped for the personnel needs of business and government. In their desire
for serviceable practicality, the schools have adapted themselves to changing
demands, and the public has seemed glad to have its children trained for
the available jobs" (White Collar: The American Middle
Classes, 1951, p. 266).
"The most fundamental question
to ask of any educational system is what kinds of product do its administrators
expect to turn out? And for what kind of society? In the nineteenth century,
the answer was 'the good citizen' in a 'democratic republic.' In the middle
of the twentieth century, it is 'the successful man' in a 'society of specialists
with secure jobs.'" (White Collar: The American Middle
Classes, 1951, p. 266).