Horace Mann School (New York City)

Established in 1887 by Nicholas Murray Butler in New York City, the Horace Mann School captured two late-nineteenth-century trends in secondary schooling: the country day school, which combined the rigor of boarding schools with outdoor physical exercise; and the progressive school, which aimed to counter the sterility of public schools. As president of the Industrial Education Association, which trained underprivileged girls in domestic skills, Butler spearheaded an effort to expand the curriculum to include academic subjects as well, but he also wanted to train teachers [Page 427]specifically for this unique curriculum. He changed the school's name to the New York College for the Training of Teachers and also founded the Model School, as part of Teachers College, where students could observe and practice teaching methods; ...