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THE COMMON SCHOOL MOVEMENT, POLICIES, AND INFLUENCERS

Sheena Greggs

Trident University International

EDU501 History and Policy in U.S. Education (2023FEB27FT-1)

Module 1 Case Assignment

Dr. Nicole Frederick

March 2023
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Introductions

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the educational system in the United States saw

two significant changes. They consist of several educational institutions, with the Common

School and the Progressive Education System being the most noteworthy. The objective of each

of these modifications is the same: to increase student engagement and accomplishment in

difficult educational contexts. It is time to analyze the contribution of revolutionary leaders to the

formation of modern education. We will study a variety of philosophical assumptions,

instructional strategies, and policy approaches that have led to the development of modern

educational practices.

Influential Factors in the Common School Movement and Progressive Education

Movement

During the many decades of their growth, colonial powers have always put a premium on

the availability of educational opportunities. With time, however, individuals began to realize

that investing in their children's education was advantageous not just for the future of their own

families, but also for the future of the country as a whole. People understood that investing in

their children's education was advantageous for the future of the country, resulting in this

development. This enlightenment occurred as a result of gaining a new perspective. The

founding fathers of the United States jumped at the chance to have their thoughts heard on the

issue of education and to discuss how the educational system's framework should be structured.

On the topic of education, they were keen to have their opinions heard.

Between 1830 and 1860, the number of pupils enrolled in public schools increased the

most and educational standards made the most development. As a consequence of his political

leadership over the first few decades of the twentieth century, Horace Mann's name is now
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instantly recognizable to the great majority of people. It had a lot of good benefits, one of which

was serving as a gathering place for the region's youth. As part of a larger movement for

progressive political and social reform, educational progressivism emerged around the end of the

nineteenth century, following in the footsteps of the common school movement. The movement

was a continuation of the common school movement, (Labaree, 2010).

Horace Mann

Horace Mann rose to prominence as a national leader of the Common School Movement

during his stint as secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. His existence lasted

from 1796 till 1859. His peers bestowed upon him the title "Founder of the Common School." If

public schools in the United States put a greater emphasis on serving the broader public, the

overall quality of education throughout the country would rise, according to Mann. There were

various initial causes for his stiffness, (Jeynes, 2007).

As a result of his efforts in this capacity, he achieved leadership status within the

movement. Mann thinks that all kids, regardless of family income, have the same opportunity to

get a great education inside the public school system. His goal was to ensure that every child in

Massachusetts had access to a public education that was both free and of the greatest quality.

According to Mann, standardized testing is required to assess the success of a school's

curriculum and teaching practices.

Benjamin Rush

Dr. Benjamin Rush was a writer and advocate for expanding educational possibilities for

children in the late 19th century in the United States. Rush argues in "Thoughts on the Kind of

Education Appropriate in a Republic" that education was vital to the early American Republic's

success, despite the fact that the early American Republic faced significant difficulties. He felt
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that everyone, regardless of their economic situation, should have access to higher education

since he saw it as essential.

Rush argued that the continuing survival of the new republic was dependent on the

transmission of moral and religious instruction. His fundamental notion was that parents and

educators should nurture independent thinking in children and adolescents by giving many

opportunities for them to create their own opinions. In addition, he believed that textbooks

should be written in clear language and include more examples from the actual world than

theoretical frameworks.

Rush believed that the conventional European approach of education put an

overwhelming focus on memorization and practice. He said that the United States educational

system should adopt a more realistic outlook. He was a big believer in the need of seeking out

fresh information and made it a top priority to do so.

In building the framework for educational reform in the United States, Benjamin Rush's

opinions were important. His principal disagreements include the need of educating children

moral and religious values, as well as the need to educate them analytical and practical thought.

John Dewey

John Dewey was a renowned educator and philosopher. His "fingerprints" may be seen

"everywhere" in the public education institutions of our nation. Although Dewey was not the

first liberal to push for an individualized curriculum, he was essential in clearing the path for

others to do so in the future, (Jeynes, 2007).

The present situation of the education industry has an ongoing effect not only on

education's theoretical foundations but also on its actual implementation. The time it takes for

advances to be reflected in students' performance may make it initially challenging to

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demonstrate a causal relationship between the two variables (years or decades). Beginning with

the turn of the twentieth century, the educational system saw a number of important

transformations. During John Dewey's lifetime, the United States saw the "golden age" of the

liberal education movement. Contrary to popular belief, neither Dewey nor others who followed

in his footsteps founded the liberal school of thought. Despite the fact that Rousseau, Locke, and

Bacon are often identified as the originators of liberalism, classical liberals do not recognize

these persons as liberalism's founders. In spite of this, Dewey is often praised for establishing

liberalism as a major component of the American educational system (1963). We will investigate

the evolution of liberal education and liberal philosophy, starting with its origins and continuing

to the present, (Jeynes, 2007).

The advent of the Industrial Era, in his perspective, has endowed us with two separate

types of knowledge. Due to people's observations, crucial information started to emerge from the

start. During the Industrial Revolution, it was crucial for each worker on an assembly line to

have a narrow concentration in order to keep the whole process going smoothly. This was done

to assure the continuity of the whole procedure, (Jeynes, 2007).

The most noticeable negative side effects of the Industrial Revolution were the

diminution of people's chances of ascending in society and the disintegration of the family unit.

Dewey thought that this was occurring everywhere, and he blamed institutions like as schools for

assuming responsibilities that had previously been handled by families, (Jeynes, 2007).

Edward Thorndike

American psychologist and educational theorist Edward Thorndike changed the

discipline of study around the turn of the 20th century. Thorndike, who advocated for a more
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scientific approach to education in his 1903 book "Education and the Psychology of the Child,"

said that teachers must do empirical study and track their students' progress.

Thorndike thought that parents should constantly promote exploration and

experimentation in their children. He emphasized the necessity for instructors to provide students

with valuable, constructive feedback and to utilize both positive and negative reinforcement to

promote appropriate conduct.

Thorndike's contributions to the field of educational psychology have left an indelible

legacy, and his ideas continue to have an impact even now.

Conclusion

It was everyone's hope that the children of today would become contributing, successful

adults, and it was this shared vision that drew these early educators together. Today's children

have access to a curriculum that is not only hard but also interesting, and Horace Mann is

primarily responsible for this. The activity of Benjamin Rush may be directly attributed to the

increase of higher education options for women and girls in the United States. John Dewey

believed that the gap between what children need and what they are taught in schools might be

narrowed if schools placed a greater focus on the needs of their students. Edward Thorndike

ultimately had an impact on students' impressions of their professors. It is evident that the needs

of children have been at the forefront of these four men's minds throughout the whole of their

efforts to enhance education across the world.

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References

Labaree, D. F. (2010). Someone has to fail. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Read

Chapters 1–4.)

William H. Jeynes. (2007). American Educational History: School, Society, and the Common

Good. SAGE Publications, Inc.