The article is devoted to analysis of the major philosophical and pedagogical concepts in the United States in the XX century: pragmatism, behaviorism, humanism, constructivism and cognitivism. The subject matter of the research is peculiarities and trends of the educational thought in the United States in the context of the formation and development of the education system in the United States in the XX century. Careful study and comparison of these areas helped identify key philosophical premises, values and methodological approaches in American pedagogy, the influence on the educational systems in the United States and Russia. Philosophy is regarded as a general methodological basis of educational research and it facilitates the synthesis of the results. It is considered to be vital for pedagogy, both in the U.S. and Russia as it is based both on premises and results of various branches of social science, as well as on data from a number of natural sciences.