Horace Mann is called The Father of the Common School and was one of the first progressive thinkers on education in the United States. His Annual Reports to the Massachusetts Board of Education, written between 1837 and 1848, are wide-ranging essays on topics, including philosophical arguments on the role of education in a democracy, curricular matters such as textbook choice and methods of reading instruction, and nitty-gritty details of classroom furnishings and buildings. Even in the much-changed society of the 21st century, much of Mann's writing still speaks to us, recalling us to the roots of our faith in education for all. - Summary by Maria Kasper

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