According to various studies of political socialization, only the immediate family may have more impact upon the development of the child's political values and partisan allegiances than the school system. And in the areas of citizenship education and patriotic inculcations the school is usually defined as the primary facilitator. Because citizenship education is considered to be indoctrinational, value laden, and non-neutral, it has generated considerable controversy. Some consider citizenship education to be a vital function of the schools, while others feel it should not receive particular attention.
Concerted efforts by education theorists and educational associations to define the proper role and objectives of citizenship education span the twentieth century.