The Common school - Gellian Fernandez Disla

- June 30, 2025

As we read through the Story of American Public Education's "Common School" section, I was surprised by how much the early American education system was shaped by the idea of who should go to school and what type of education they got and how that idea changed over time. There were words and ideas that helped me understand the way that the idea of school changed.

One word that stuck out to me was charity. The word charity showed how schools back then worked for those who were considered "poor" These schools were viewed not as a right, but they were looked at as help. The term "charity schools" meant that getting working-class kids an education wasn't yet something that everyone in the community cared about. People treated these schools like it was something given away to the less fortunate, like it was food or clothing. Like getting to go to school was a handout. This made it seem like there was unfairness and division with the students based on their financial situation. This word showed how American education began as a limited system that was not actually intended for everybody. Even in larger cities, there were "public schools," but they did not always follow the idea of equal opportunity. They were also frequently more structured and supported. That's when people started to like the idea about school, when they saw what it could be. The phrase "they admired the highly organized" showed a turning point in the history of the common school. It shows that they wanted structure, stability, and accessibility in schooling. Americans, particularly reformers such as Horace Mann, got to understand the benefits of a controlled, consistent public education system, not just for the wealthy but for all. They began copying concepts from areas such as Prussia, where state-run schools were already established and open to all children. This turned into action laying the foundation for the current public school system.

The sentence, "Many states also encouraged or required district consolidation, some provided a modicum of state aid to the towns and support for teacher institutes" helped me understand the change. This statement shows how the government began to take education more seriously—not only leaving it to churches or small towns but also beginning to standardize and support it. Although the support was still low, it was an important move forward. More importantly, it built an idea of professional growth for teachers, which we often take for granted nowadays. At that time, teacher training was not an important focus. States began investing in teacher institutes, understanding that better-trained teachers resulted in better-educated children.

If I had to sum up what I learned from this section, it would be that the start of public education was not accidental. People who considered education as a way to achieve equality and social progress were the ones who were behind it. It also required changing how society viewed the poor, the role of the state, and what it meant to have the right to learn.

A Video talking about how the school system started.