Boston Latin School, when it was founded in 1635 became the first school public school in the American Colonies. By the early 1800’s, Massachusetts would pass a law granting access for every child to tuition free primary education. The idea of education for every citizen regardless of their circumstances and ability to pay began to catch on among neighboring states before the union as a whole adopted a policy making education compulsory for every adolescent. Over the decades and even centuries, many philosophies and ideologies regarding the matter came and went; although the great plurality of Americans value the importance of public education, there has consistently been disagreement regarding the simple question at the very core of this cultural practice–what is the purpose of educating our children?
To this day, at the core of most disagreement about how to educate children from kindergarten to twelfth grade is the question, why do we educate? As generally accepted as is possible surrounding this issue, Mortimer Adler, a twentieth century philosopher, put forth his explain of the encompassing objectives of a child’s schooling: civic development, personal growth/improvement, and occupational preparedness. In the next three weeks, I will address each of these ideas, discuss their relevance today, remark on the current day effectiveness, and suggest possible improvements when appropriate. Today, I will detail what each means.
The first objective, civic preparedness, in general terms describes how children can be developed into members of society. Considering the importance of a common set of beliefs which is critical to the unity of a democracy, educating children about the history, ideals, and political mechanics of the country they are citizens of is essential. Through an emphasis in this area, democracy is strengthened through greater understanding and acceptance that lead to greater social cohesion. Furthermore, with greater civic education representative democracies tend to embody greater transparency and increased accountability from those in office. Along with the importance to democracy, education has purpose of preparing people to interact effectively within society. An important facet to this is the education of how individuals ought to be act in terms of basic civil and criminal laws. Lastly, to matriculate into society, children must be taught social practices that are critical to the function of a citizen in adulthood (i.e. balancing a checkbook and drafting of a letter). This also encompasses the ever so stressed Three R’s—Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic.
The second category, personal growth, stems from one of the founding principles of America—upward mobility. At the very core of nearly every citizen is an entrenched belief that through hard work and persistence, one ought to be able to improve their situation. This objective of schooling embodies the premise that people are able to improve themselves and their situation. Through schooling, children can learn how to critically think, generate ideas, and acquire knew skills—these lessons allow students to expand beyond their current horizons and drive forward into a more promising future. It allows the lowest to be elevated.
Lastly Adler laid out the final objective of schools which is to prepare students for careers. From the early years of public schools, when teachers aimed to train kids in discipline and obedience in order to best prepare students for employment in the local factor, to today, when schools fund departments that teach trades that teach kids skills that can immediately be used after graduation such as machinery and welding. Today, as secondary education becomes more prolific, this same category can be used to describe preparatory education that is designed to ready students for their next stage of education.
It is by these three objectives—citizen development, personal growth, and occupation preparation—that schools focus (or ought to focus) their efforts. As we state continue, we will discuss each of these topics individually in regards to their current presence and role.
Cites Used
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/vintage-slang-terms-drunk_n_4268480.html
http://www.purposeofschool.com/philosophical/