Brownson’s Assessment Horace Mann gained support for his educational reform during the 19th century, yet there was some opposition to his proposals. Orestes Brownson constructed the best appeal to his reforms with several well-grounded concerns. Brownson reveals Mann’s undermining of the democratic and meritocracy society through the education of students and their educators, the extension of politics into education, and using education as a means of mass control. Mann’s ideas for the educational system reform in America for its students were swiftly followed by his call for reform on how the educators were to teach. There are several references to the Prussian educational system at that time. Mann seemed to idealize this way of education,
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Mann makes the same reference to training in his push for Normal Schools for teachers. Brownson touches on this this difference by referring to this as special education and general education. Brownson believed that special education is used to prepare oneself for a profession whereas general education was for the well being of a person and their development, which in turn creates democratic members of society (Tozer, pp. 77). Not only would Mann undermine the democratic virtues of American society by creating a weaker educational system by special education taking precedence over general education, but would also deal a major blow to the meritocracy of America because it allows students to leave an educational system with knowledge unprovoked and uncultivated by deeper thought, understanding, learned talent, and leadership skills thought be gained through such teachings. Brownson’s same critique of special education versus general education also does a good job at revealing Mann’s view of human capital through the industrial point-of-view which lacked an important attribute of the definition. Through Mann’s efforts to gain support of his reform, he reaches out for grab the attention of the growing need for workers during the …show more content…
Unfortunately, many of the issues with the educational system in America stem back to the 19th century and have not gotten much better. Mann was not completely wrong in all his decisions as secretary of the school board for Massachusetts, but there were many great, valid points made by Brownson. The education system is getting more complex with the issues of immigration, standards, funding, and technology in the classroom. More wrenches are thrown into the spokes of the educational system everyday and only time will tell if the democratic virtues will remain intact in the following years, but some areas of the educational system appear to be bleak. Knowing the past will only help us predict what the future
Mann makes the same reference to training in his push for Normal Schools for teachers. Brownson touches on this this difference by referring to this as special education and general education. Brownson believed that special education is used to prepare oneself for a profession whereas general education was for the well being of a person and their development, which in turn creates democratic members of society (Tozer, pp. 77). Not only would Mann undermine the democratic virtues of American society by creating a weaker educational system by special education taking precedence over general education, but would also deal a major blow to the meritocracy of America because it allows students to leave an educational system with knowledge unprovoked and uncultivated by deeper thought, understanding, learned talent, and leadership skills thought be gained through such teachings. Brownson’s same critique of special education versus general education also does a good job at revealing Mann’s view of human capital through the industrial point-of-view which lacked an important attribute of the definition. Through Mann’s efforts to gain support of his reform, he reaches out for grab the attention of the growing need for workers during the …show more content…
Unfortunately, many of the issues with the educational system in America stem back to the 19th century and have not gotten much better. Mann was not completely wrong in all his decisions as secretary of the school board for Massachusetts, but there were many great, valid points made by Brownson. The education system is getting more complex with the issues of immigration, standards, funding, and technology in the classroom. More wrenches are thrown into the spokes of the educational system everyday and only time will tell if the democratic virtues will remain intact in the following years, but some areas of the educational system appear to be bleak. Knowing the past will only help us predict what the future