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The History of American Public Education
Public education from the time Pilgrims came to America to present day. -
Horace Mann "The Great Equalizer"
Sometimes known as "The Father of American Education", Horace Mann was appointed the first secretary of education when Massachusetts organized the first State Board of Education (p. 127).
He envisioned a democratic culture that linked education and freedom and formed a "common school" available to all social classes. A profound observation that Horace Mann made was that "the cost of not educating all students in effective schools were greater than the cost of doing so" (p. 128). -
John Dewey: progressive educational philosopher
John Dewey blended traditional educational foundations and the child-centered education strategies. He understood the values of the changing times and the need to reform schools to meet new demands. His idea of a "community consciousness" expressed how schools could teach children "differences and commonalities among each other, where vocational studies coexist with academic studies, and where tolerance and diversity partner with critical mindedness" (p. 139). -
National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education
After the Civil War, there was a demand for training young members of society to work in trades while they attended school. Vocational education was beneficial for businesses as well as low-income families and immigrants' children. Research on a program called High School Students That Work (HSTW) showed that schools that participated in vocational programs earned better scores in reading, math, and science (p. 156). -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142)
Basic educational rights were given to all children with disabilities after the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was established. These are children can be intellectually challenged, hard of hearing, deaf, speech and language impaired, visually handicapped, seriously emotionally disturbed, orthopedically impaired, as well as other handicaps (p. 159). It is important to include this group of people in education to better help them integrate into society. -
A Nation at Risk: a report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education
Differences among American national students and international students was measured in the report of "A nation at risk". This comparison brought to light some problems American schools were facing. It is a highly criticized report, however, the public education system was brought into the spotlight to advance community discussion and resource allocation (p. 163). This report generated momentum that led us through the advances made in education up until today.
