The case for public schools horace mann pdf

New York: Teachers College Press, Fraser, James W. New York: St. Hayes, William. Lanham, Md. Lynch, Matthew. Brouillette, Matthew J. David Carleton. Horace Mann [electronic resource]. As secretary of the first board of education in the United States, he gave lectures and started the influential Common School Journal. Picking up on many of the ideas of the founding fathers, Mann went on to envisage how a system of universal education would best serve the social, economic, and political needs of society.

He centered his lofty hopes for the nation on the solo successes of children because he believed that a common experience in school could mold them into successful individuals. Mann developed six educational principles that would come to define his involvement, and would influence the American education system for decades:.

Ever expansive in his ideas, Mann also believed that common schooling would reduce hostilities among citizens. As children grew into adults sharing a common educational experience, Mann posited that different socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds would become less significant. By , Horace Mann was busy working to mobilize support for public schools and argued that they were the training ground for youth and for individuals to be able to participate effectively as citizens of a democratic nation.

Mann clearly valued a balanced and broad curriculum and supported the development of one in public schools. Mann advocated for the education of heterogeneous groups of students to achieve unifying goals and believed specifically in the connection between freedom, self-government, and universal education.

He believed in the value of a common learning environment and the development of self-discipline. These, he maintained, could be transferred into the types of skills and behaviors needed for a free society where citizens were not only educated, but had the ability to make intelligent decisions needed for moral judgment and government participation.

For Mann, the purpose of education went beyond intellectual and utilitarian goals. Accepting that children differ regarding ability, interests, and temperament, Mann laid the groundwork for lessons to be adapted to meet the individual needs of children. There was little consistency in the curriculums used by one-room schools, though, and teachers had difficulty grouping children for instructional purposes. Students studied in groups based on what they knew and what they needed to know.

Students of multiple ages received instruction at the same level. Given the number of children and the different ages of children in the classroom, children principally learned via memorization. I hope to make this a important component and outlet in my daily routine. I am not going to hold back. I am the most stubborn person I know and love to argue. I do not mean angrily screaming insults but polite debate over disagreements. Finding purpose and value in actions I take is important to me. I hope to demonstrate my beliefs and ideas to the world I am open to politely debate your outright acceptance of Mann's ideas as an "ingenious plan".

Why exactly do you believe this? Is public education truly the means by which the masses have the capacity to move upward in the social and economic ranks of society?