The Evolution of Curriculum, Part Two

Common School Movement

The basic function and structure of schools changed little during the early 1800s. While access to education was widening, especially in the northern states, there was little change in curriculum. Local and state governments stressed public education as a means to strengthen the democracy. As Thomas Jefferson's said, "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."

However, an era of reform swept the nation beginning in the late 1830s. The new nation had successfully fought a second war with England, paid its debts, and was growing exponentially. A new educated elite--the product of a rapid increase in the number of olleges and universities--including women, began to investigate, write about, and lobby for reforms in prisons, treatment of the mentally ill, abuse of alcohol, women's rights, and public education. In the field of education one man is the colossus, Horace Mann. Mann, a lawyer by training, was appointed as Massachusetts' first Secretary of Education in 1837. He began what has come to be known as the Common School Movement. As Secretary he pushed for the professionalization of the education field. Mann was a strong advocate of tax supported schools, better pay for teachers, a broader curriculum, longer school year, and education for all regardless of gender or race.

In terms of curriculum and instruction, Mann was the first person of significance to challenge the "traditional" ways of doing things. While he believed schools must promote "moral elevation," he argued that it should be solely secular. A new moral code fitting for a democracy of many peoples and religions was necessary. Mann rejected the literary foundation of education based on "great works" like those of Shakespeare, Hawthorne, or Grimm's Fairytales, and promoted more "practical" knowledge to be gained from works focusing on science, politics, and history. He believed that a practical education led to power and empowered the marginalized segments of society.

Today the educational theory known as "constructionism" is popular. It states that children construct knowledge and the notion of truth is mostly relative. Horace Mann first popularized this approach nearly 180 years ago with his view of learning. He wrote that rote learning "was neither effective or desirable, but that children had to be led to discover principles and relationships." He also alluded to the modern theory of Multiple Intelligences with his support for art, music, and physical education components to the public school curriculum.

Although Mann's impact was felt directly in Massachusetts, the Common School model he popularized spread around the country and largely is still intact today. This is why he is known as the "father of the American public education."

 

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