Mexico's School Funding Structure: Is it Working?

Historically, Mexican education was dominated by the Aztecs before 1519. After Spanish conquest, illiteracy increased in Mexico because of the focus conquistadors placed on enslaving Indians in the search for gold (Erickson, 2002). In 1823, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and the education system began to improve slowly. A new constitution was adopted in 1857 stating that education would be compulsory and free however, the church maintained a strong influence over educational processes, and this resulted in limited opportunities for rural peasantry (Erickson, 2002). Mexican politicians, educators, and philosophers of the 20^th century, came to the realization that quality education was not only in the best interest of the student, but also the nation. With the goal of promoting unity in the nation, power was given to central government to mandate that education would be based on sociopolitical principles, and operated under federal supervision. Government leaders were influenced considerably by the Russian revolution and French positivist theories during that period, and this has influenced the educational structure (Erickson, 2002).