Forgotten Wisdom

 

President  Adams on Education in 1785

John Adams, our second president, who served in the executive office from 1797 to 1801, was an early American proponent of public education.

“The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves.”

– John Adams, September 10, 1785

I think funding by charitable corporations and foundations can fall under this preclusion, as well. Perhaps we should get back to our roots…

Related topics: Education Policy

About the author 

Michelle Boyd Waters, M.Ed.

Michelle taught secondary ELA in public schools for 10 years. She served as an award-winning journalist before transitioning into education and is now Assistant Director of the OU Writing Center and a teacher consultant for the Oklahoma Writing Project. Michelle co-edited the Oklahoma English Journal for five years. She is a PhD candidate in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum at the University of Oklahoma. She started reThink ELA LLC as a teacher blog in 2012.

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