As I understand it, John Dewey was only appointed to head up and change our puclic education, and he was responible for most of our problems today!
I know in most states the first schools were founded by ministers, as in Tennessee, it was founded by a Presbyterian Minister.
Most Universities and colleges are only copies and imitations on those originally founded.
The founders of Harvard believed that: “All knowledge without Christ was vain.”
The word Veritus, still on the college seal (of Harvard)
means divine truth. The motto of Harvard was offically: “For Christ and the Church.”
And, you should see Yale, and Princeton (the founders would be tarred and feathered if they were on campus today).
“I know in most states the first schools were founded by ministers”
That was before compulsory education.
And Dewey was just on the forefront. He had lots of support from government, academia, and big business. They all thought it would be great to have a school system based on the Prussian model of indoctrination.
The schools were intended to produce good citizens who would be willing to go to work in the factories. The result would be prosperity and a utopian society for all to enjoy. Yes, they really did believe this.