Editing Education (section)

=== Modern era ===
{{See also|Western education}}[[File:Printer in 1568-ce.png|thumb|alt=A woodcut from 1568 showing an old printing press|The invention of the printing press made written media widely available and led to a significant increase in general literacy levels.]]

Starting in the early modern period, education in Europe during the [[Renaissance]] slowly began to shift from a religious approach towards one that was more [[Secularization|secular]]. This development was tied to an increased appreciation of the importance of education and a broadened range of topics, including a revived interest in ancient literary texts and educational programs.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Johnson|Stearns|2023|pp=6, 81–83}} | {{harvnb|Dekker|2023|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C32mEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 1–2]}} | {{harvnb|Grendler|2005|loc=[https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/education-europe Lead Section, § From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment]}} }}</ref> The turn toward secularization was accelerated during the [[Age of Enlightenment]] starting in the 17th century, which emphasized the role of reason and the empirical sciences.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Johnson|Stearns|2023|pp=6, 100–101}} | {{harvnb|Grendler|2005|loc=[https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/education-europe Lead Section, § From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment]}} }}</ref> [[European colonization]] affected education in the Americas through [[Christian missionary]] initiatives.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Johnson|Stearns|2023|pp=81–83}} | {{harvnb|Lightman|2019|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=yQj9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA316 316]}} }}</ref> In China, the state educational system was further expanded and focused more on the teachings of [[neo-Confucianism]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Johnson|Stearns|2023|pp=116–117}} | {{harvnb|Elman|2016|loc=[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780190622671.001.0001/acref-9780190622671-e-116 Civil Service Examinations]}} }}</ref> In the [[Islamic world]], the outreach of formal education increased and remained under the influence of religion.<ref>{{harvnb|Johnson|Stearns|2023|pp=116–117}}</ref> A key development in the early modern period was the invention and popularization of the [[printing press]] in the middle of the 15th century, which had a profound impact on general education. It significantly reduced the cost of producing books, which were hand-written before, and thereby augmented the dissemination of written documents, including new forms like [[newspaper]]s and [[pamphlet]]s. The increased availability of written media had a major influence on the general [[literacy]] of the population.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Ornstein|Levine|Gutek|Vocke|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-nIcCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA78 78]}} |2={{harvnb|Danesi|2013|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GZOBAAAAQBAJ 169–170]}} |3={{harvnb|Poe|2011|pp=104–105, 112}} |4={{harvnb|Sampath|1981|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NfhwWGPoV3sC&pg=PA30 30]}} }}</ref>

These alterations paved the way for the advancement of public education during the 18th and 19th centuries.{{efn|For example, [[Commission of National Education|the world's first ministry of education]] was founded in 1773.<ref name="ND">{{cite book|author=Norman Davies|title=God's Playground: 1795 to the present|url=https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0 |url-access=registration|access-date=17 March 2013|date=28 February 2005|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-12819-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0/page/167 167]}}</ref><ref name="TT">{{cite book|author1=Ted Tapper|author2=David Palfreyman|title=Understanding Mass Higher Education: Comparative Perspectives On Access|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=riv0UCM90AMC&pg=RA2-PA140|access-date=17 March 2013|year=2005|publisher=RoutledgeFalmer|isbn=978-0-415-35491-2|pages=140}}</ref>}} This era witnessed the establishment of publicly funded schools with the goal of providing education for all, in contrast to previous periods when formal education was primarily delivered by private schools, religious institutions, and individual tutors.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Scott|Vare|2020|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=k1YAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT54 54–56]}} |2={{harvnb|Schuknecht|2020|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=TvwAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 40–41]}} |3={{harvnb|Bowen|Gelpi|Anweiler|2023|loc=Western Education in the 19th Century}}  |4={{harvnb|Gross|2018|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uflADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 1–3, 9–11]}} |5={{harvnb|Archer|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=jZxtAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA326 326]}} }}</ref> An exception to this trend was the [[Aztecs|Aztec]] civilization, where formal education was compulsory for youth across social classes as early as the 14th century.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Reagan|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bCGRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108 108]}} |2={{harvnb|Murphy|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aX9hDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA80 80]}} |3={{harvnb|Kte'pi|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Yub3CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT63 63]}} }}</ref> Closely related changes were to make education compulsory and free of charge for all children up to a certain age.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Beatty|2019|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Mc-aDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA436 436–437]}} |2={{harvnb|Beiter|2005|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nE-wCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA609 609–610]}} |3={{harvnb|Beiter|2005|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nE-wCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 95–97]}} }}</ref>