Today families and Deaf educators still struggle with the creation and financing of deaf schools. America’s “common” schools https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_school were a great equalizer among its population and gave many outside the wealthy classes the opportunity to better themselves and their families. https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1871/Common-School-Movement.html
Apparently, Boston Latin was the common or public school in America. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/first-public-school-america
Then there was the “normal school” movement which focused on how teachers…teach. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_school
“In 1600s and 1700s America, prior to the first and second Industrial Revolutions, educational opportunities varied widely depending on region, race, gender, and social class. Public education, common in New England, was class-based, and the working class received few benefits, if any. Instructional styles and the nature of the curriculum were locally determined. Teachers themselves were expected to be models of strict moral behavior.
By the mid-1800s, most states had accepted three basic assumptions governing public education: that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that children should be required to attend school.” https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/1871-2021-short-history-education-united-states
Thomas Gallaudet was a pioneer in the common school movement and his greatest contribution may have come with his involvement with Laurent and the Hartford Asylum.
But what of Laurent’s experience in France?