Common School Movement, Policies and Influencers (Term Paper Sample)

Common School Movement, Policies and Influencers
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Education has adversely improved over the decades, and this is through the contribution and policies of influencers such as Horace Mann, Benjamin Rush, John Dewey, and Edward Thorndike. Education opportunities have shifted dramatically over centuries; in the first and second industrial revolution, education access varied regarding location, race, gender, and social class. For instance, basic education that included literacy and numeracy was available for white men in the northern and middle colonies. Furthermore, literacy level was also high when it comes to these groups of people. However, the contribution of influencers and implementation of policies and philosophies have impacted the education system today. This essay will address how key influencers implemented initiatives that impacted education today; moreover, the essay will also capture the policies, philosophies, and laws that shaped education today.
Horace Mann has often been called the father of common school for decades. Upon his election as secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837, he enacted reforms the spearheaded the Common School Movement (Fallace, 2017). In this case, he advocated for every child to receive basic education, which was to be funded by local taxes. The idea was well-received in Massachusetts, which enabled more states to adopt universal schooling. Furthermore, his commitment also dwelt upon the belief that there should be stability in political leadership for the Common School Movement to prevail. Society should be at peace and harmony (Robinson & Jolly, 2013). If affected in any way, these two tend to be a barrier for success in the education sector, thus for the success of literacy in the basic level of education, Mann acknowledged that general ideas should be considered when it comes to education.
Furthermore, Mann also believed that public schooling was the centre for children to acquire knowledge about being good citizens, teach them how to be democratic participants and societal well-being. Through this, he influenced the teacher training schools with the attempt of professionalizing teaching. In this case, the school quality and education quality has improved in today's world. He acknowledged that women were to be brought into the picture for the Common School Movement. Besides, he forcefully advocated for the recruitment of women in the ranks of teachers that have helped bring normalcy in the schools today (Fallace, 2017). For instance, most women have enabled the comfortable stay of learners in schools as they are mostly in charge of the guidance and counselling department. I believe the contribution of Mann has helped improve stability in schools and has helped in promoting the women empowerment that is being seen today.
Other than Horace Mann, John Dewey also influenced the Common School Movement. As an educational thinker, philosopher, social educator, and social reformer, he changed teaching and learning. Unlike early models of education, Dewey put a premium on the meaningfulness of the activities of learning band the participation of both the teachers and the learners (De Lissovoy, Means, & Saltman, 2015). His contribution rallied behind the idea that the student's progressive learning results from the investment in their learning. Furthermore, Dewey argued that the curriculum used for teaching should be in line and relevant to the student's lives. This argument has been taken seriously and is being used to date, and the learning is to be focused on the practical life and the contribution the learner is to add to society. However, some critics have argued that Dewey's contribution will make students fail to acquire basic academic skills and knowledge and that the teacher's authority would disappear. However, this was not the case; in his contribution, Dewey was concerned with creating a community whose learning reflects the active life's occupation. Moreover, he believed that through the introduction of practical learning, each child would be saturated with the spirit of service, and they will be equipped with the self-direction that is of worth to society. Through Dewey's Philosophy, schools have adopted this idea since it aims towards producing learners to develop the community and the nation at large.
On the other hand, Benjamin Rush, like most male contemporaries, never developed doubt towards the subordination of the female gender. In other words, Rush advocated for girls to be treated equally when it comes to education (Robinson & Jolly, 2013). As seen today, most women have embraced that through education, they can stand firm and avoid dependence on men; this has also helped them realize their power and status in society. Benjamin Rush helped develop the policy that allowed for the revolution that helped advocate for fair treatment of women and men