The First Secretary Of The Ma State Board Of Education

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Throughout history schools have served an important purpose; they aim to educate children and improve society by giving children the necessary skills needed to make advancements when they become old enough to make contributions. Although, schools are often criticized, by politicians, parents and in some cases the general population, for not serving their purpose properly. Often the people making these judgements are unaware of what is needed in schools. Society has been making judgements towards the education system for centuries and in some instances, it has been for the better. The thought behind the purpose of schooling hasn’t evolved as much as it has been broadened to include the vast majority of the population and along the way it has …show more content…

A man named Horace Mann became the first secretary of the MA state board of education. This was a job he found to be in line with his principles and ideals. His main aim was to give all students an equal chance in life by building free schools funded by taxes. He was very dedicated to his job he rode horseback and visited “1,000 schools in six years” (The common school, 2000). He visited numerous schools and wrote reports on the buildings, he detailed their physical condition and aimed to help as many as he could. He tried to standardize curriculums and physical conditions of schools across the nation. This was a difficult task to accomplish as teachers had no formal education and had students of all different ages completing many different tasks at the same time. Teachers were expected to make public schools as good as private schools. Mann used his common curriculum and position in the government to attempt to improve the public-school system and stop wealthy families from moving their children from the public-school system to the private school system. He wanted children to have the same opportunities whether they were poor or wealthy. To achieve this, he needed to convince his peers of the importance of equality and the importance of trained and educated teachers. Mann’s common curriculum was not based on catholic or Irish traditions which made those families weary of sending their children to be taught religion that they did not agree with, this caused riots and led Bishop Hughes to start Parochial schools in New