American Education System
California Content Standard 8.6.5
By the end of the lesson, I will be able to…
Trace the development of the American education system from
its earliest roots, including the roles of religious and private
schools and Horace Mann’s campaign for free public education
and its assimilating role in American culture
As evidenced by…
Taking notes and a quiz.
Essential Question
• Who was Horace Mann and how did he impact the American
education system?
Early 1800s
• In the early 1800s, the availability of education varied widely
from region to region.
• New England had the largest number of schools.
• The South and the West had the fewest.
• Few teachers were trained.
• Schools were small.
• Students of all ages and levels usually worked in one room.
Early 1800s
• Social background and wealth affected the quality of
education.
• Rich families sent children to private schools or hired tutors.
• Poor children attended public schools, if there was one in their
area.
• Girls could go to school, but parents often did not see any
reason for educating them.
Horace Mann
• Horace Mann, an educational reformer, was a leader of the
common-school movement.
• He thought that education made children responsible citizens.
• Mann called for all children to be taught in a common place,
regardless of background.
Horace Mann
• As Massachusetts’ first Secretary for Education, Mann doubled
the state’s school budget and raised teachers’ salaries.
• He lengthened the school year.
• He began the first school for teacher training.
• Mann set the standard for education reform throughout the
country.