The Rise of Public Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Rise of Public Education - Essay Example If any schooling was required, learning was best through father and son interaction. The system of education for the citizens (the professionals) is to learn under a reputable master, through experience, observation and experimentation. The best students are to progress on to higher learning. Aristotle, like Plato, believed that learning by experience is the better, and preferred, teaching method. They differ, however, on the government’s role. For Plato, government intervention begins when the citizen performs military or civil service at the age of twenty-five. Aristotle believed in a broader role for government. He proposed that children be commonly instructed, in publicly provided places, by government-appointed teachers. (Rit Nosotro) Americans assume that there have always been public schools in the US. Public education presupposes equal access for all, and converges with the democratic ideals that created the republic. Contrary to public belief, there was no public school system set up when the American Revolution triumphed. The people did not place the provision of education in the hands of government. There is even no mention of education in the Constitution. (Blumenfield 1999) American education historians consider the New England colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire as the cradle of public education. Seventeenth century New England towns maintained common schools for children to learn to read. These common schools however differ from the present-day public schools because attendance was not compulsory, they were not publicly funded, and the more prevalent forms of learning was through private tutors and parents. Nevertheless, the New England common schools are considered as the precursor of public schools because law required them. Massachusetts had a law in 1647 that required providing education. Insuring that children learn to read and write were required for towns that had fifty