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Article: Roosevelt vs. Reagan ... and the future of public education in the United States.(UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES)(Franklin D. Roosevelt, Donald T. Regan)
- Article from:
- District Administration
- Article date:
- July 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Professional Media Group LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL children in public schools--the bedrock of American democracy, right? Actually, it's one of the ten planks of The Communist Manifesto, published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848. Interestingly, Marxism was birthed at about the same time that "public education" was gaining broad acceptance in the United States. Until the 1840s most schools were privately owned and operated, but in 1837 the Massachusetts State Board of Education was established and Horace Mann became its first secretary, spearheading the proliferation of free public schools. By 1870 every state in the nation provided free elementary education. Compulsory school attendance ...