|
T |
he nation’s leading advocate of public schools was
Horace Mann (1796-1859) of Massachusetts. As a Massachusetts state legislator,
he lobbied for the establishment of a state board of education, and then resigned
his seat to become secretary of the board in 1837.
During this twelve years as board secretary, he
campaigned successfully against formidable opposition for property taxes to pay
for public schools. He also succeeded
in keeping formal religious instruction outside of schools and confined to
churches. His other achievements
included establishing teacher training colleges, placing students in grades
according to their age and ability, and lengthening the school year.
Horace Mann’s influential reports on public
schooling helped to generate broad support behind educational reform. Two of
his reports are readily available online:
Report No. 12 of
the Massachusetts School Board (1848)