Giving a nod to public education

Support for public education has waxed and waned since the early 19th century when social reformer Horace Mann argued for a common school that offered education for all children supported by local taxes. He believed that education was essential for political stability and social harmony.

Joseph Tomain, dean emeritus and the Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, and Sidney Shapiro, a professor at Wake Forest University, cited Mann’s common school movement as they discussed the history of public education in an article for the online publication, The Conversation.

Tomain and Shapiro argue that withdrawing from public education could be dire to the country and note the history of support from Mann’s movement to the GI Bill in the 20th century that made college a reality for millions of American veterans. They warn against prioritizing government support for privately funded schools over public education.

“We believe the harm to the country of promoting private schools while rolling back support for public education is about more than dollars and cents,” explains Tomain and Shapiro in the article. “It would mean abandoning the principle of universal, nonsectarian education for America’s children. And in so doing, Mann’s ‘virtuous citizenry’ will be much harder to build and maintain.”

Read the full article in The Conversation online.

Learn more about Professor Joseph Tomain online.

Featured top image of school students conducting a science experiment is provided by Istock.