This syllabus for Bank Street Graduate School of Education's Foundations of Modern Education course (EDUC 530) provides an overview that includes course requirements, assignments, readings, and topic schedule. The course is designed to provide an overview of the history of education in the United States from the Colonial period to the present. It is also designed to deepen candidates’ understanding of the social, political, and economic forces that influence education and the lives of children. In addition, the aim of this course is to acquaint students with some of the major scholarly works and debates in the field of American educational history.