The Common School Movement

THE RISE OF STATE SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION 1820-1865

Learning Goal

Students will be able to explain how the common school movement influenced education in our country and who contributed to it.

What is the common school movement? 1820-1865 “Age of the Common Man”

Mostly white, wealthy children went to school

Majority of children did not receive a formal education

The common school movement was an attempt to make education available to all

What were some important events? States and local government taxed citizens

to support public schools Educators attempted to increase

attendance States created state education

departments and appointed superintendents

Educators organized schools by grade level

States improved teacher preparation

Who contributed?

Horace Mann Secretary of

Massachusetts State Board of Education 1837-1848

Built new schools & increased teacher salary

He believed in the idea that public education in form of tax supported elementary schools should be a right to all

How did education improve?

Parents began viewing education as a way of improving their children’s lives

National and local leaders saw education as a way of improving national productivity

Industry and commerce were growing and required an increasingly educated population

More and more children attended elementary school and high school

What were some obstacles?

The quality of building and equipment was poor or in short supply

Many teachers were not very educated and poorly trained

What was a normal school?

Two year institution developed to prepare prospective elementary teachers

Normal schools targeted women as potential teachers

Many of today’s state colleges and universities began as normal school – Eastern Michigan University, UCLA

What was the legacy of the common school movement?

The number of children who attended school steadily increased, and so did public support

All education was equal and available to all

Teacher quality also increased