Horace Mann

Why is Horace Mann important?
He is considered the “father of public school” education. He served as Sec. of the Board of Education for Massachusetts. During this time, he wrote reports (12 Annual Reports) that outlined the problems and solutions of education that were implemented throughout the country.

He established schools for teacher training, turning it into a real profession.

He won financial backing for public education. Wages of teachers increased also.

He established free school district libraries.

Why did people oppose him?
Religious leaders thought that schools should teach their own particular doctrine….Mann believed that schools should teach a universal doctrine of morality, not a specific branch of religion. He was a threat to their way of schooling.

Others didn’t believe that it WAS the right of certain types of people (girls, blacks, or the poor). At that time, the rich were basically educating their children at home because they could af...