The contributions of the education system reformer Horace Mann, who lived from 1796-1859, have had a lasting effect on education in the United States. ... While at Brown, Mann studied law and expanded his interest in social reform.
When he was elected to act as Secretary of the newly-created Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837, he used his position to enact major educational reform. He spearheaded the Common School Movement, ensuring that every child could receive a basic education funded by local taxes.
