Orestes Brownson Challenged Horace Mann's Interpretation of the State's Role

Essay

Orestes Brownson challenged Horace Mann's interpretation of the state's role in protecting social and economic harmony via education. He believed in the right and duty of the local school district to determine "the selection of teachers, the choice of studies and of books…all that pertains to the methods of teaching and the matters to be taught or learned…" How are both Mann's and Brownson's arguments being employed today in education, and over what kinds of issues? How can understanding the past help us understand, and act, in the present? Where do you stand on federal versus state versus local control of the schools?