#1 CASE EDU501 History and Policy in US Education History Case Study

History and Policy in U.S. Education
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Institution
History and Policy in U.S. Education
Introduction
The United States takes pride in being among the nations with one of the most integrated and comprehensive systems of education in the world. Its institutions for the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education can only be matched by a few of the developed and developing countries around the world. Nevertheless, it was after the American Civil War that the education system went through major transitions leading to the rise of public or common schools and the proliferation of institutions of higher learning. Among the individuals recognized for their impact in the educational reforms in the United States were the likes of Horace Mann, Bishop John Hughes, and Benjamin Rush. The three individuals played distinct roles in advocating for and or implementing changes to the U.S. education system. A comprehensive analysis of each of their contributions to the enhancement of the education system provides an excellent platform for understanding the historical background of the nation’s highly coveted education system in the current world.
The development of the United States’ education system to its current status was, however, a gradual process that began with the arrival of the Puritans and Pilgrims in the 1600’s (Jeynes, 2007). The European immigrants emphasized the need for providing education to children as a cornerstone for the effective development of a fully functioning community. Both the Puritans and the Pilgrims formed the foundation for the United States’ schooling system that focused on the spiritual and academic development of children. A three-dimensional approach involving three primary institutions of the church, the school, and the home served to achieve the outlined purpose of morally upright society (Jeynes, 2007). The rather traditional form of education purposed to produce responsible members of the society by integrating the religious teachings from church, academics from school, and the home as the point of applying the said teachings. The system was coined after the Christian belief of the holy trinity and insisted on the parents’ role as being influential in facilitating the system’s desired outcome of developing children into virtuous adults (Jeynes, 2007).
Horace Mann’s is recognized for his immense contribution to education reforms in the United States through his fearless advocacy for the establishment of common schools in his home state of Massachusetts and the nation as a whole. The strong proponent of education reforms held various political and institutional positions through which he advocated for the formation of common schools financed through the taxpayer’s money. Among the arguments presented by Mann for supporting the establishment of common schools was that the institutions would serve to reduce inequality in the American society, which was a source for the escalation of social evils and disorderly behaviors (Jeynes, 2007). According to Mann, the inclusive nature of public schools would provide equal opportunities for children across the social and economic divide to acquire the necessary academic qualifications for the highly ...