Postsecondary Education and the Ivy League: Vanguard or Foul Play?

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Didactics - Business economics, Economic Pedagogy, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Fachbereich 03: Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftspädagogik ), course: Seminar: Education in the USA, language: English, abstract: This seminar paper deals with the question whether the American system of privatized postsecondary education (often referred to as the 'Ivy League') might be an exemplary approach to an optimized educational system. To answer this question, two perspectives are taken into account. On the one hand the effectiveness of the system is considered by considering a market model of education. On the other hand the efficiency of private postsecondary education will be examined. Hence, chapter 2 will define the term 'Ivy League' and present a market model of education. In section 3, the focus shifts to whether the system follows the principles of meritocracy and equality by examining influencing factors of the admission process including the role of high school education. Finally a conclusive summary of the findings is provided.