The idea of school – grouping students together in a location for the purposes of leaning – has existed for thousands of years. Ancient Greece considered education in a gymnasium essential to childhood development. Ancient Rome was famed for its tuition-based system. Even Ancient India had the Gurukul system of education where students would live, study and work near a guru.
While medieval Europe and ancient civilisations had systems of education, these can’t really be considered ‘modern’ school. However, ‘modern school’,is considered to be invented by Horace Mann, the Secretary of Education in Massachusetts, at the beginning of the 19th century. In other words, the person who is considered to have invented the concept of school is Horace Mann. Born in 1796, Mann was a pioneer of educational reforms in the US State of Massachusetts. After he became Secretary of Education in 1837, he undertook one of the biggest education reforms in American history.
While he was Secretary of Education, Mann went around the state holding teachers’ conventions, delivering lectures and introducing reforms. One of the key things Mann did was to persuade his fellow modernisers to create laws that supported tax-funded education in their states. These ‘Common Schools’, as they were known, were created to educate all children regardless of region or district – and because they were tax-funded, all children could attend them.
A big part of the success of these schools was the idea that all teachers had to have the same basic training. Teachers would have to attend ‘normal schools’ or teacher training colleges to learn how to teach. This meant, in theory, all teachers would have the same, standardised teacher training.
Mann’s vision was to unite children from all social classes through education, creating a shared learning experience. He believed that education in common schools would help to bridge the gap between the less fortunate and the privileged, creating a more equal society.
While much has changed since the days of Horace Mann, schools today still rely on the same ideas of standardised tests and taxpayer revenue that came from Horace’s era of common schools. What’s largely changed is the curriculum.