A Discussion on Educational Aims: Towards Humanistic Educational Aims and What We Can Learn from the Original Aims of Compulsory Schooling

Should we learn from the past when it comes to the aims of schooling? One is compelled to take a position on the issue of educational aims and on whether the direction of current educational practices should be based on the original goals of schooling. This article deals with the goals of introducing compulsory schooling in two contexts – Prussia and the United States. It then compares these contexts to the current aims of schooling as envisioned by humanists who are critically opposed to the newest educational approaches as well as to the classical ones. This article presents the normative solutions of humanist authors, mostly building on the legacy of Nel Noddings, as well as examples and “anti-examples” in a historical context. Ultimately, the article reopens a neglected yet necessary discussion about educational aims by reaching conclusions about what sort of inspiration can be taken from the historical aims of compulsory schooling.