宮城県本吉郡(現在の登米市津山町柳津石貝)に農民の子として生まれる。両親が家出をしているときに出来た子どもだったため、11歳になるまで戸籍に登載されず、小学校教育も十分に受けることは出来なかった。若いころは炭焼きなど、故郷で重労働に従事した。1924年（大正13年）、一念発起して、仙台市に出て、製糸工場の臨時人夫をして金をため、東京に出る。その後、苦学しながら日本大学専門部政治科を卒業した。1928年（昭和3年）、勤務先の自転車会社でストライキを指導して解雇される。以後は労働運動や農民運動に奔走し、東京や郷里の宮城県で多くの労働争議や小作争議を指導したため、度々警察に検挙された。1937年（昭和12年）、仙台市市議会議員に当選するが、翌年、人民戦線事件に連座し逮捕され、市議会議員の地位を失う。その後は、古本屋の経営や燃料会社への勤務で生活を支えるが、皮肉にも、このときが、最も経済的に安定した時代であったという。
Reports were published in November 2006 to suggest that England's Education Secretary Alan Johnson was exploring ways to raise the school leaving age in England and Wales to 18, pointing to the decline in unskilled jobs and the need for young people to be equipped for modern day employment. Such proposals are expected to become effective from 2013 onwards.
The Labour government in 1965 required all local education authorities to formulate proposals to move away from selection at eleven, replacing the tripartite system with comprehensive schools. This was done by the minister Tony Crosland by means of Circular 10/65 and withholding funding from any school that sought to retain selection. This circular was vehemently opposed by the grammar school lobby. Some counties procrastinated and retained the Tripartite System in all but a few experimental areas. Those authorities have locally administered selection tests.The Circular also requested consultation between LEAs and the partially state-funded direct grant grammar schools on their participation in a comprehensive system, but little movement occurred.  The 1970 report of the Public Schools Commission chaired by David Donnison recommended that the schools choose between becoming voluntary aided comprehensives and full independence.  This was finally put into effect by the Direct Grant Grammar Schools (Cessation of Grant) Regulations 1975.  Some schools (almost all Catholic) became fully state-funded, while the majority became independent fee-paying schools.
Education was made compulsory to age 15 in 1947. The 1944 Act had also recommended compulsory part-time education for all young people until the age of 18, but this provision was dropped so as not to overburden the post-war spending budget (as had happened similarly with the Act of 1918).The Tripartite System became controversial in the post-war years. Critics condemned it as being elitist and defenders claimed that grammar schools allow pupils to obtain a good education through merit rather than through family income. In some areas, notably that of the London County Council, comprehensive schools had been introduced. They had no entrance test and were open to all children living in the school catchment area. However, despite tentative support for 'multilateralism' in secondaries, and a desire to raise the standard of secondary moderns to that of private institutions, from Minister for Education Ellen Wilkinson, the majority of Labour MPs were more concerned with implementing the 1944 Act; her successor George Tomlinson saw this through, although the secondary technicals remained underdeveloped.
The Education Act 1944, relating to England and Wales, was authored by Rab Butler and is sometimes known as "the Butler Act". It defined the modern split between primary education and secondary education at age 11, and provided for the raising of the school leaving age to 15. The Act established the "Tripartite System". It defined the grammar school as the place of education for the academically gifted (with entrance determined by a selection exam. Initially this was the "Scholarship" exam, which was later replaced by a "Grading Test" which was then subsequently replaced by the 11+ examination. Children who did not pass the selection test attended technical schools or secondary modern schools. Changes in government approaches towards education meant that it was no longer regarded adequate for a child to leave education aged 14, as that is the age when they were seen to really understand and appreciate the value of education, as well as being the period when adolescence was at its height. It was beginning to be seen as the worst age for a sudden switch from education to employment, with the additional year in schooling to only provide benefits for the children when they leave. Although there were concerns about the effects of having less labour from these children, it was hoped that the outcome of a larger quantity of more qualified, skilled workers would eliminate the deficit problem from the loss of unskilled labour.The 1944 Act should have been brought into effect as from September 1939; it was not implemented because of the effects of the Second World War, but was eventually enforced from April 1947.
ケンブリッジ大学の前副学長であるウィル・スペンズが委員長を務める委員会の1938年の報告書は、グラマースクールや技能学校への入学は知能テストをもとに決めるよう勧告した。 これに続いて1943年のノーウッド報告は中等教育の「三者」分科を提唱し、1944年の教育法で実現した。
ワシントン大学で1年間だけプレーし、平均16得点 5リバウンド 3.7アシストを記録し、Pac-12カンファレンスの1stチームとフレッシュマン賞を受賞したローテンは、2012年4月にチームメイトのテレンス・ロスと共に2012年のNBAドラフトにアーリーエントリーを表明。25位でメンフィス・グリズリーズから指名されNBA入り。1年目の2012-2013シーズンは、マイク・コンリーから出場時間を奪うことが出来ず、Dリーグで過ごす時間が多くなり、35試合の出場に止まった。2013年8月22日にフィラデルフィア・76ersに移籍。11月13日のヒューストン・ロケッツ戦で18得点 10リバウンド 11アシストを記録しトリプル・ダブルを達成。2014年11月7日のシカゴ・ブルズ戦では、自己最多の31得点を記録するなど、苦しいチーム状況の中奮闘していたが、2015年1月23日のトロント・ラプターズ戦で、右膝の前十字靭帯を断裂する重傷を負い、無念のシーズン終了。2015年12月5日のデンバー・ナゲッツ戦で復帰するも、同月24日にイシュ・スミスを再獲得したことによるロースター枠の調整のために解雇された。2016年3月16日、ニューヨーク・ニックスと契約したが、シーズン終了後に解雇され、6月26日、メンフィス・グリズリーズがウェーバー公示で獲得したが、10月7日に解雇。11月29日にテキサス・レジェンズと契約した。