Horace Mann's Vision Of Gaining Universal Education

In today’s era, we have been able to give everybody, no matter what their race or gender is, a right to obtain equal education. This illuminates Horace Mann’s hope of bringing “universal education” as a means of shortening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. When analyzing the articles, it becomes apparent that the central idea that both economic and social status hinders people’s ability to be successful in education, becomes clear. Nowadays, Mann’s vision of having “universal education” has become a reality, but, due to certain circumstances, it has created a society where some people have more advantages than others. With schools located in poorer communities, it makes educating students more difficult since the schools have less

People who are undocumented come to the U.S in order to have a hope of living a fulfilling life and furthering their education. Because of their status, it limits their opportunities in receiving “higher education” and, can make it so that they can only attend community college, even if they get a 4.0 GPA (Alvarez). However, there are things such as the AB 540 that help undocumented students get into colleges if they know about it (Alvarez). And, when undocumented people who arrive to America are unaware of opportunities that would help them apply to colleges easier and be able to have a chance of getting into other types of colleges, then they’re forced to live harsh lifestyles with low wages and struggling to obtain their citizenship so that they can have an easier time to have a happier life in America. In these instances, both types of circumstances, with both the poor and undocumented people, creates a burden that puts both of them at a disadvantage because of their status in society. Mann’s idea that education is the “great equalizer” in resolving the conditions in which the less fortunate have lived through has not fully become a reality

When the rich have enough money to pay for their education, it puts into perspective the advantages they have compared to everybody else. This factor limits the opportunities that non-wealthy people have when wanting to get a higher education. However, even though college is a choice, it still represents a civil rights issue because the only way to get a good paying job is to get a college degree (Ellis). But, with people in situations where they don’t have many opportunities for higher education, they’re forced to live a life where they have a small chance of getting out of their situation and attending college. And because the rich are able to pay for their education, they’re able to attend different types of schools such as private schools which gives them the upper-hand in the future compared to regular public schools when they attend colleges. So, if we were to enhance our public schools, then it would help more people achieve more opportunities so that they can have more equal education. Just like what happened with Union City in Kirp’s article, with enough determination and having a long-term goal with different teaching tactics, schools will be able to “bend the arc” of the lives of students and become a “ticket out of