How Did Horace Mann Contribute To Education

Known as “The Father of American Education,” Horace Mann is listed in Atlantic Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Figures in American History.” Although modern education in America has strayed from the original principles Horace Mann established during the creation of the Common School, his multitude of contributions towards American public education marks him as worthy of this distinction.

Horace Mann was born May 4th, 1796 in Franklin, Massachusetts. Franklin was a small town with a strong religious community and, consequently, much of Mann’s early education on morality was derived from sermons at the meetinghouse, although he frequently disagreed with the teachings of Pastor Nathaniel Emmons. Formal schooling in Franklin consisted

Although public schools already existed in several areas of the United States, the availability of education for children was severely limited by geography and socioeconomic class status. Thus, Horace Mann’s radical vision of reform for public school set the foundation for our current public schools which are meant to serve every child regardless of background. Horace Mann’s beliefs concerning these new public schools were as follows: citizens cannot maintain both ignorance and freedom, education should be paid for, controlled and maintained by the public, this education should be provided in schools that embrace children from varying backgrounds, this education must be nonsectarian, this education must be taught using tenets of a free society, and must be provided by well trained, professional teachers. Additionally, Mann published “The Common School Journal” which kept the public updated on educational issues and provided information on the goals of public schooling. In addition to common schools for children, Horace Mann established the first state-supported normal school in 1839 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Normal schools were created explicitly for the training of future elementary teachers, in an attempt to professionalize

Firstly, pragmatic curriculum and social emotional learning are pushed aside in order to keep pace with the rigorous demands of standardized testing instilled by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. As a result of this pressure, teachers do not feel a personal responsibility to teach children how to be upstanding citizens, one of the primary original goals of public education, but instead enforce rote memorization of the curriculum as a tactic to increase test scores. This isn’t entirely the fault of the teachers; however, maintaining their positions heavily relies on the outcomes of the aforementioned tests. However, Mann’s hope that America’s teachers would be highly trained professionals who must undergo rigorous training in order to enter the field is still in line with today’s requirements. A majority of students wishing to enter teacher education programs must meet certain criteria before being accepted; guidelines vary by state, but maintaining a high GPA as well as passing additional assessments, such as the PRAXIS exams are among the standard requirements. Contrastingly, the distribution of these highly trained professional teachers and resources is not equal across the country today. There’s a drastic difference in funding for schools, depending on their location and the main demographic of the