Role Of Government In Public Education

The man with the greatest effect on the government’s relationship with schools is Horace Mann. Often called the “Father of American Education,” Horace Mann wasn’t

Public education in America began in the early to mid-19th century with the simple goal of “uniting the American population by instilling common moral and political values” (Spring, 2012, p. 5). Our country was founded by men who designed the constitution so that it could be amended to accommodate changing political and social climates. They believed in the ideology of the American dream which “holds out a vision of both individual success and the collective good of all” (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2004, p. 1). It is with this same ideology that our public schools were

There are many roles that I believe the federal government should play in compensating for educational disadvantages that result from living in poverty. It is the federal government that sets mosts standards for the way a student should be educated from elementary school all the way through high school. I believe that the federal government should pick up the tab if they are going to set requirements such as free breakfast and free lunch programs. These programs are forced on poor, usually urban schools that can’t afford it. Also, a question about participating in extracurricular activities such as sports. Many of the poor children can’t participate in these activities because they can’t afford the cost of playing the sport; so possibly the

Even though the Declaration of Independence does not mention education, our founding fathers did value education. Illustrated by the ordinances they passed “in 1785 and 1787 that granted federal lands to states to create and support public school- an institution that the nation’s founders viewed as essential to democracy and national unification.” (Jennings, p3) In 1959, the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union reconfirmed the Federal government’s support of education. Three distinct elements that impact education are; laws that have been passed, the removal of the church from public schools, and the role of federal government that has evolved and changed over the years. These three factors have transformed education over the

Thomas Jefferson remains one of the first advocates for public education, which was later termed the Common School Movement. He recognized the inequality in education, for the wealthy stood the only ones capable of affording an education, thus the poor stayed poor and the rich stayed rich. Jefferson aspired to change the apparent injustices in the education system. He felt all children possessed the right to and education regardless of prosperity, heritage, and circumstances. Even though Jefferson remained not able to create the change he so desperately sought to make, he never stopped trying and since education stayed revolutionized, for his persistence in equality. James Conant, former president of Harvard University stated, “In short, as I view the American scene of the 1960’s, I am ready to declare without hesitation that Jefferson’s proposals have become incorporated in the pattern of our educational structure” (Mercer, 1993).

In Chapter 1 of Spring, the author discusses the goals of public education and whether or not those goals have been met. The chapter is divided into sections. These sections include Political Goals of Schooling, Censorship & American Political Values, Courts & Political Values, and Political Values & State & National Curriculum Standards. Each section the author makes a claim about public education.

Thomas Jefferson is one of Americas most known noble leaders. Who had a vision for public schooling in the new United States of America in Enlightment ideas yet restricted by his own understanding of race, gender, and class (Conant, J.B 1962). Jefferson trusted that a more "normal" social structure would suit the creating political attitudes of the nation. He envisioned a "meritocracy," in which instructed men would serve in public office. Since their education would at last be for the public great, Jefferson composed and presented a bill sketching out a plan for public schooling. As right on time as 1778, with the Revolutionary War in progress, Jefferson legislated for the general education of youth. His "Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge" would give three years of basic schooling for white youngsters in Virginia, (cited in Webb, 2006).

Horace Mann was one of the most influential reformers in the history of American education. He was responsible for the Common School Movement, which was to ensure that every child receive free basic education funded by local taxes. Growing up in poverty where there was lack of access to education, the first secretary of Massachusetts Board of Education strongly believed that tuition- free education would be the “great equalizer,” and the key to fight against poverty and crime. As a result, Massachusetts’ residents were the

With the many diverse characteristics of the Unites States, perhaps the most troubling is the rising gap in the distribution of wealth. As the wealth gap in the United States rises exponentially, the gap in the quality of public schooling rises with it. For a country that prides itself in prestigious outlets of education, the system of public schooling seems to be miserably failing. Public education, a system that some fight to destroy while others fight to preserve, is perhaps the only source of academic opportunity for many individuals living in this country. The fact that someone can live in a certain area and receive a higher quality of public education than someone else living in a different area in the same country—even in the same state—is a problem that should not trouble a ‘progressive’ democratic society. Unfortunately, areas of lower socioeconomic status receive much less funding than areas of higher socioeconomic status, where property taxes account for 45% of funding in public school districts. Naturally, the impoverished residents of poor neighborhoods pay a harsh price in this situation, sending their children to an underfunded school with little to no resources, where sometimes teachers must supply the classroom from their own pocket. As Rogerson and Fernandez note, “a system that allows the accidents of geography and birth to determine the quality of education received by an individual is inimical to the idea of equal opportunity in the marketplace”

The word education is absent from the U.S. Constitution. Based on this fact, how is Federal involvement in public education justified?

In present day, most people to become successful in the future need to have an education. In the mid 1800’s, education was a very rare thing in America, and only children with rich parents could afford it. This issue was because there was only private schools in the country, making education a very difficult thing to achieve if someone’s family was not very wealthy. In 1848, Horace Mann stated: “ It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility towards the rich; it prevents being poor”(document 7). When he says this, he is hoping that all people can have the opportunity to be able to get and education. This argument is brought up very frequently in politics mostly by the democratic party so all people can have a chance at having a future with the job they want.

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in American History once said, “Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.” (1) Since it’s birth, our great nation has undergone positive change that shapes the world we live in today, and we have public education to thank for that. Many progressive movements began with our children and their educational rights, before branching out to the rest of America’s citizens. This can be seen throughout each century. During the 1700's, education was finally brought to the forefront of American states, creating a basic guideline of what every American should know and giving them a space to learn.

Education not only is a right, it is a requirement in modern society. In order to continue to progress it is necessary to have an informed and educated population. The access to this education is ensured by the government. However, quality of education is often diminished due to economic factors or cultural factors. Often parents are concerned about topics being taught in schools. The result of this is the existence of charter schools and the school voucher system. Charter schools are less regulated, private institutions which receive taxpayer funding. School voucher systems provide monetary assistance to qualifying students which allow them to attend private schools. This is shown as a way to provide parents with options concerning their child’s education. However, these institutions are severely under-regulated. An issue of separation of church and state also comes into question. Private, religious institutions are funded by tax-payer money. “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves... is sinful and tyrannical.” Thomas Jefferson in his fervent effort to ensure freedom from the ideology of others. Not only do charter schools and voucher programs allow for tax-payer money going to possibly unregulated schooling, but they also undermine public education. Distributing funds which could have gone to improve public education are then used to fund private schools. As of December 2011, approximately 5,600 public

Since the establishment of America’s first schools, the American people have disagreed not only about what the purpose of school is, but also about what schools should teach. Initially schools were supposed to “prepare men to vote intelligently and prepare women to train their sons properly. Moral training based on the Protestant Bible would produce virtuous, well-behaved citizens [who knew not only] the three R’s but [also] the general principles of law, commerce, money, and government” (Kaestle, 1983, p. 5). During the 1780’s educational theorists began calling for reform and in 1785 Massachusetts law

What are the roles of federal and state government when it comes to American education? The roles of education have evolved from historic liabilities to current liabilities. There are many laws and cases that have had an impact on American education that still has a strong influence on education today such as the debate between church and state, racial desegregation, and education finances. Other impacts as relevant are testing standards and special education programs that have arisen from influences of federal concerns. The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical and current roles that the federal and state government has on education. Other factors to include are individual cases