Introduction
This page is dedicated to 10 educational theorists and philosophers. Each of these ten men and women impacted some form of education. These men and women advocated for what they believed in. They all had an idea for an educational system that fit our growing American society. Each of their ideas was implemented in some way into the education system. While the exact form of all of their ideals may not still be around today, it was used as a building block that brought us to our current education system. Their ideas have been reformed to fit the modern needs of society and education.
Catherine Beecher
Catherine Beecher was a great advocate for women in education. She advocated for women to get a better education so they could become teachers. Beecher also believed that women were better fit to become teachers as they were traditionally meant to nurture their children while their husbands worked. (Fraiser 43) |
Grace C. Strachan
Grace C. Strachan was a strong voice focused on one particular topic, unequal salaries for female teachers. She believed women occupied only the lower jobs of the teaching profession, and were paid lower salaries than their male counterparts. Strachan's campaign overall was successful. Men were still normally promoted faster, but women won the right to equal pay for equal work in the teaching profession. (Frasier 187) |
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was most famously known for his Webster dictionary. He was also the most influential person in the development of the American Version of the English Language. He was also one of the most productive authors in questioning an appropriate education system for the new nation. (Frasier 29) Margaret Haley
Margaret Haley was one of the biggest advocates for teachers in the United States in 1904. Haley was a powerful voice for the rights of teachers. She most strongly believed in increased salaries, job security, and recognition to teachers as educators rather than "factory hands." Haley also strongly believed Unions were the key to change. (Frasier 182) |
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a signer of the United States declaration of independence. Rush was a social reformer looking to shape education in the United States after the Revolutionary War. He was a strong proponent for education for both men and women, but had specific ideas for how women should be educated. (Frasier 23) Horace Mann
Horace Mann was a huge advocate for "The Common School." He believed an education common to all was the kind of education the new nation needed. He was also a firm believer in transferring private resources for public good through taxation for causes like public education. (Fraiser 38) |
Ella Flagg Young
Ella Flagg Young was a strong theoretical voice for the progressive era. Young was a believer that a democratic society such as the United States needed a strong democratic education system. Like Margaret Haley, Young strongly believed teachers were "cogs in a machine run from above." Young was an advocate for teachers being respected citizens. (Fraser 185) Cora Bigelow
Cora Bigelow was a leader of the elementary school teachers' organization. The group was based in Boston, and for a short time she was able to turn it into one of the first teachers unions. Bigelow believed in progressive education, teacher power, and a central role for teachers in developing school curriculum. (Frasier 189) |
John Holt
John Holt wrote "How Children Fail." Holt was an advocate for home schooling. He was a strong believer that things like home school were more likely than public or private schools to produce success out of children. Holt believed public and private schools were at the point where they could not be reformed. (Frasier 235) Charlotte Forten
Charlotte Forten was born as a free black women in 1837. Forten was born in Philadelphia but in 1850 moved to Massachusetts where she was able to teach in a grammar school. Forten later moved south to the battle grounds of the Civil War where she taught freed slaves, Charlotte Forten kept a journal of her time and experiences in the south. (Frasier 88) |