Education Reform

The best education system seemed to be in the North. Why? 1. The North was not so dependent on agriculture, so planting and harvesting did not get in the way of education. 2. The North had cities, so schools could be more centralized and transportation made it easier for students to get there. 3. Factories started many of the schools. This gave parents “day care” and they hoped their children would be able to move up the social ladder because of education.

Horace Mann “Education is the great equalizer.” In 1837 Horace Mann accepted the position of First Secretary of the State Board of Education in Massachusetts. He abandoned a highly promising career in politics in favor of education. He took office at a time when glaring weaknesses existed in public education in Massachusetts. Mann achieved the following in his twelve years as First Secretary: Campaigned for Education. Realizing the need for public support and public awareness of the educational problems of poor teaching, substandard materials, inferior school committees and pupil absences, Mann campaigned throughout the State. This campaign was eminently successful. The schools were improved everywhere in the State. Established Schools For Teacher Training. The first Normal School for Teachers was established in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 1839 through the efforts of Mann.

Established School District Libraries Established School District Libraries. Horace Mann improved education by advocating successfully the establishment of free libraries. Won Financial Backing for Public Education. Mann knew the importance of money in making educational progress. Through his efforts, the wages of teachers were more than doubled, supervision of teaching improved with compensated school committees, fifty new secondary schools were built, State aid to education doubled, and textbooks and educational equipment improved. Extended His Influence Beyond Massachusetts. Horace Mann edited the "Common School Journal" and wrote twelve Annual Reports which became famous.

Reasons People Were Against Public Education 1. Upper class people did not want to have to pay to educate lower classes. 2. Higher taxes 3. Older people whose children were grown didn’t think it was fair for them to pay for others’ education. 4. Some felt there was no need for “book learning.” 5. Some churches were against it wouldn’t be able to teach religion their schools would lose students

Chronology of Public High School Education 1821: First public high school opened in the US in Boston, Mass. 1827: Massachusetts passed a law saying every town with over 500 families had to have a public high school. 1850: There were 55 public high schools in the entire US. There were over 6,000 academies (private schools).

Higher Education The oldest colleges in the US were set up by religious groups to teach ministers. 1789: First state supported college was chartered, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, It opened in 1795 when it welcomed its first student, Hinton James.

African American Higher Education Alexander Twilight graduated from Middlebury College in 1823, with his bachelor’s degree making him the first African American to receive a degree from an American college. In 1833, Oberlin College was founded in Ohio. It was the first coeducational and co racial college. Mary Jane Patterson graduated from Oberlin College in 1862. She was the first African American woman to receive her bachelor’s degree.