Horace Mann strives toward excellence in three major areas of responsibility: 1) offering an exemplary learning experience to children in early childhood and elementary school settings: 2) pre-service clinical teaching area; and 3) educational research and development.

First, the school offers children enrolled at Horace Mann a unique, exemplary education focused on the child and on integrated curriculum in an atmosphere of creativity and innovation and based solidly on the latest findings of educational theory and research. Horace Mann youngsters and Northwest students experience a full range of classroom settings, teaching methods, and learning styles.

Second, the school serves as a laboratory for the College of Education and Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, offering pre-service experiences which range from simple observation to practical classroom teaching in all subject areas, allowing college students to work with top scholar/practitioners who are master teachers in actual childcare and classroom settings. The elementary students gain teaching assistance that provides for individualization. Classroom teachers are also able to group their classes to attain a smaller teacher-student ratio. The program allows the school to provide a sound core of instruction supplemented by accelerated tutoring for the gifted and strong reinforcement for children with learning difficulties. All college student class activities are closely monitored, supervised, and controlled by the regular teaching faculty.

The third function of Horace Mann is to provide a setting for curriculum and staff development as well as applied research in cooperation with elementary specialists in education departments and in certification programs from universities as well as governmental agencies.The Horace Mann faculty in collaboration with the Curriculum and Instruction professors developed a balanced literacy program for elementary schools that was nationally recognized by the International Reading Association in 2002. Currently the faculty is integrating handhelds into the upper elementary curriculum. This innovation will be presented at the Phi Delta Kappa International Conference and at the National Association of Laboratory Schools national spring conference.