Common school facts for kids

A common school was a type of public school in the United States during the 1800s. These schools were meant for all children in a community. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a big supporter of public education and common schools. In 1837, Massachusetts made Mann the first secretary of its State Board of Education. He then started a big change in common school education. His ideas spread across America throughout the 19th century.

Early Schools

Common schools first started in New England. Communities paid for these schools. They were for all children in a town or neighborhood. These early schools helped teach the Puritan way of life. They included religion in their lessons. This was to teach good morals and obedience.

In the 1600s, Puritan communities relied on Christian groups for teaching materials. Local church leaders often taught in their communities. With help from the community and rich people, clergy decided what was taught. They also chose the books and teachers for common schools. This continued through the 1600s and 1700s.

Religious ideas were very strong in New England education. This was even more true during the First Great Awakening. Some leaders believed schools helped keep people godly. For example, in 1742, Connecticut passed a law. It limited new schools during this religious revival. The law said other schools might teach "ill principles" and cause problems.

Changes in the 1800s

Horace Mann's Work

From 1837 to 1848, Horace Mann led education changes in Massachusetts. He was a lawyer and a state senator. He was also the first secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. Mann worked hard to create a standard for state education. Before him, schools were very different from one town to another.

A state leader named James G. Carter explained the problem. The state had given control to towns. Towns gave it to districts. Districts then gave it to individuals. To share his ideas, Mann wrote yearly reports. He also started the Common School Journal. This journal reported on schools in Massachusetts. In 1839, the first "normal school" for teachers opened. It was in Lexington, Massachusetts. This school aimed to train teachers in a standard way.

Henry Barnard's Efforts

Henry Barnard (1811-1900) was another important education reformer. He worked in Rhode Island. In the 1840s, Barnard worked with Governor James Fenner. They looked at and improved common schools in the state. In 1845, Barnard started Rhode Island's first teacher training center.

Later, from 1867 to 1870, Barnard became the first United States Commissioner of Education. He believed education should help people get jobs. He often suggested teaching good habits like "industry, frugality, and respect for property rights." This idea showed how the world was changing. The Industrial Revolution meant education needed to prepare people for new jobs.

What Was Taught

Common schools usually taught "the three Rs": reading, writing, and arithmetic. They also taught history, geography, and math. The McGuffey Reader was a very popular textbook in the 1800s. It was more used than Noah Webster's speller. The books often mixed spiritual and moral lessons with regular subjects.

Grading varied a lot. Some schools used a 0-100 scale, others gave no grades. But at the end of the year, recitations were common. Children would recite what they learned. This was how parents found out about their child's progress.

Moral Lessons

Common schools aimed to teach every child good morals. They also wanted to "equalize the conditions of men." Teaching morality in the classroom stayed a key part of education. Over time, the way morality was taught changed. It became less openly religious. Instead, it tried a more neutral approach. Some ideas, like phrenology, influenced this. Moral teaching started to use a more "scientific" method. It moved away from old, strict religious rules.

The Common School Era Ends

Many education experts believe the common school era ended around 1900. In the early 1900s, schools became more regional. Control of schools moved away from elected school boards. Instead, trained professionals took more control.

Common schools were not separate special districts. So, voters often decided in elections to join bigger school systems. These were called independent or unified school districts.

States and territories started to copy Massachusetts' common school system. Educators felt it was their job to "civilize" the American frontier. In 1862 and 1890, the United States Congress passed the Morrill Land-Grant Acts. These laws allowed public lands to be sold. The money was used to build and fund state universities. These universities taught farming and mechanical skills. This was the first time the federal government funded public education.