The Common School Movement

It is impossible to comment on the development of the “common school movement” without speaking about several topics which dominated and influenced the educational genre. With an increase of immigrants populating North American soil, a need to educate the populace to maintain social and economical vibrancy, and the legal elements that helped nurture the educational disciplines of the time, each had a significant role to play in the evolutionary cycle of the common school movement. In the following dissertation I will be commenting on how the “common school movement” influenced the idea of universal education?

Focusing our lenses on the issue of immigration, we have learned that millions of foreigners throughout history set out to seek religious freedom and attain economical stability in this wonderful country once called “beautiful”. With the rise of new settlers knocking at the footsteps of many ports, the concept of educating and preparing these new residents was the greatest challenge facing the educational system and society. With indifferences in language, customs, culture, religion, behavior, and education assimilation became the sole focus of preparing a nation with a common goal and customary principle. For it was clear that the social and religious conflicts which inundated early settlement painted the panorama for the birth of the “Common School Movement”. This common school movement had to tackle and address the issues of poverty, economic vitality, social harmony, political stability, and religious indifferences that spread throughout the Euro-American culture. Schools became the primary solution in response to the issues of diversity in early American history.

With individuals such as Horace Mann, Booker T. Washington, Mary Lyon, and D.E.W Dubois leading the way to diverse cultural acceptance and educational prominence, it was clear that America was now taking a turn in history. For the European principles which governed early colonial education was now being threatened by the ascension of minority figures taking on the role of leadership in the American academic arena. No longer was the assimilation process going to govern the enculturation process, but a new system of integration was pathing the way for the early Common School Movement and Universal Educational Concept. For education was now at the forefront of social and economical development and it invited women, blacks, Latinos, and other minorities’ classes to have an opportunity at developing their skills and abilities to become competitive citizens of this country. Ethnocentricity was no longer going to dominant the educational arena.

With legal issues facing the educational system due to the acculturation of these new settlers, and academic pioneers it was important to erect new rules and regulations in order to stabilize the possible growing conflicts which inundated the academic scene. Attendance, religion, moral behavior, academic requirements, curriculum structure, and teacher competence now played an important role in maintaining academic vitality and assuring for equal rights, and benefits to all students of all classes. Education and the “Common School Movement” took precedence in all areas of social and economic progress and it was no longer going to be shadowed by the religious agendas which plaque early academic development. For education was here to stay.

It is safe to say that evolution has taken its course once again in the modern development of paradigms shifts in the universal genre of the academic setting. With a growing number of immigrants migrating to this country it seems that history will once again be made, and what was once a minority group can very well become the majority. It will be interesting to see the new topics, and disciplinary attributes which will model the schools of the twenty second century. For who knows, history can repeat itself if we do not learn how to adopt, adapt, and acculturate each other’s differences. For it has been said “one should not despise humble beginnings”, for the Common School Movement was the catalyst for what is known today as the Universal Model of Education.