Do schools matter? This course will seriously examine this question by investigating the complex ways in which schools and society interact. To do this, we will examine the historical development of schools in America, but our primary focus will be a close investigation of the ways in which schools are embedded in racial, economic, social, and geographic contexts. We will also turn our attention to how teachers, parents, and students interact within the classroom. In the end, our primary goal is to understand when and how schools contribute to inequality and stratification, and how public policy and culture influences when and how schools matter.