Overview

From Plato’s Academy to the one-room schoolhouse to Zoom university. The history of education tells the story of civilization.

Core Idea

Public Education (The Common School): The radical idea that everyone (not just the rich) deserves a free education funded by taxes. Championed by Horace Mann in the US.

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Progressive Education: A movement (led by John Dewey) that emphasized learning by doing, critical thinking, and democracy, rather than rote memorization and authoritarianism.

Intuition

Schools reflect society.

  • Sparta: Military training.
  • Middle Ages: Religious training.
  • Industrial Revolution: Factory training (bells, rows, schedules).
  • Information Age: ??? (We are still figuring this out).

Examples

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Ended legal segregation in US schools.
  • The GI Bill: Sent millions of WWII veterans to college, creating the middle class.
  • Sputnik: Launched the Space Race and a focus on science education.

Common Misconceptions

  • “Schools used to be better.” (They were more exclusive. Graduation rates are higher now than ever.)
  • “Summer vacation is for farming.” (It was actually because rich city kids went to the country, and schools were too hot.)
  • Literacy Rates: The rise of reading.
  • Women’s Education: The fight for access.
  • Colonial Education: Imposing values on conquered peoples.

Applications

  • Policy: Understanding the roots of current problems.
  • Philosophy: What is the purpose of school?
  • Sociology: Education as a tool of social control or liberation.

Criticism / Limitations

History is often written by the victors. The history of education often ignores indigenous ways of knowing.

Further Reading

  • Dewey, Democracy and Education
  • Tyack & Cuban, Tinkering toward Utopia