History of U.S. Public School and Housewives?

(Not sure if I chose the right flair...)

My friend tried to convince me last night that public school exists only because housewives needed something to do while their children were at school, but still needed to be available to their children during out-of-school hours. He did not substantiate this with any evidence.

I'm researching the history of public school and the major themes I see are poor vs. wealthy, practical ed vs. scholarly ed., the role of the industrial revolution, and religion and race issues. I'm pretty sure my friend is full of it.

Has anyone else heard this housewife theory before? Can anyone point to research that might be useful in this scenario?

Submitted February 23, 2020 at 07:03AM by southside_sue https://ift.tt/2HKs8DA