Old School Still Matters: Lessons from History to Reform Public Education in America: Lessons from History to Reform Public Education in America

Brian L. Fife

Aug 2013 · ABC-CLIO

About this ebook

Can public schools in America be saved? This book considers theory, current practice, and the common school ideal through a historical lens to arrive at practical suggestions for reforming contemporary public education.

Despite dramatic, sweeping changes in recent decades, a strong case can be made for guiding the reformation of contemporary public education in the United States on common school ideology of the nineteenth century. The author argues that the common school remains a public institution capable of preparing America's youth to contribute to the community in a positive manner, and that education must be treated at a public good where all children—regardless of social class—have a right to a quality education. The work includes a thorough overview of Horace Mann's writings on K–12 public education that support the common school ideal—concepts that are over 150 years old, yet still highly relevant today.

Presents information on a topic of paramount importance, as almost 90 percent of American children in grades K–12 attend public schools

Provides a thorough analysis of the writings of Horace Mann, the education reformer largely credited with helping to create the common school in the 19th century

Merges theory and practice, analyzing the common school ideal in a historical sense while also presenting ways to reform contemporary public education

About the author

Brian L. Fife, PhD, is professor of public policy at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. His published works include Praeger's Reforming the Electoral Process in America: Toward More Democracy in the 21st Century and Higher Education in Transition: The Challenges of the New Millennium.