The following covers some of the stuff I'm reading now of which I will then go on to pursue the references:

Gilded Age
Rationalization (economics)
Progressive Era, Progressivism
Efficiency Movement, Rationalization (economics), Fordism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History of education in the United States, No Child Left Behind Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Education in Germany, Education in Canada

The motivation for my reading is that since at least the time of Plato education education has been central to the proper functioning of the state (See Plato's Republic for instance). It has been argued that education is essential to the proper function of a democracy. Rosevelt Blamed the failure of democracy in Germany on education (reference needed). However, the quantity of education we receive now (in terms of years and participation) is a relatively recent phenomenon yet democracy exited since the time of antiquity although with less participation. Well education has always been central to the stability of the state education as an essential component of a 'properly functioning' democracy became much more of a prominent idea after John Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) and Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson (I need to verify this with more research).

This relates to the progressive era in that, in the progressive era the classics like Plato were removed from the curriculum. The importance of philosophy and the constitution in government was replaced with the importance of leaders and accountability. The role of the government was transformed from governing to the will of an informed public to that of delegating complex decisions from passionate citizens to "disposition experts" (bureaucrats and managers). The culmination of the progressive era was the New Deal where Laissez-faire capitilism was replaced with state and corporate capitalism. Our school system have removed the classical references from the curriculum required to understand the difference between a Statist/corporate monopolistic capitalism with that of laissez-faire competitive free markets.

Large economic crises tend to lead to new paradigms in economics. Marx called these paradigm shifts regimes of capital accumulation:

"Marxist regulation theory talks of Regimes of Capital Accumulation (ROA) and Modes of Regulation (MOR). ROAs are periods of relatively settled economic growth and profit across a nation or global region. Such regimes eventually become exhausted, falling into crisis, and are torn down as capitalism seeks to remake itself and return to a period of profit. These periods of capital accumulation are "underpinned", or stabilised, by MOR. A plethora of laws, institutions, social mores, customs and hegemonies both national and international work together to create the environment for long-run capitalist profit."
Fordism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is essential to understand our history in order to find the best path for the future.