In a time of political turmoil in which both women (#MeToo) and black people (#BlackLivesMatter) are fighting to be heard and recognized, it is worthwhile to look at the past to perhaps uncover new narratives that can give direction. Citizenship Schools provided a way for civil rights activists to civically engage individuals who were previously…

World War I marked an important turning point in progressive education. With the founding of the Progressive Education Association (PEA) in 1919 advocates had an organization that stood against pedagogical formalism. This essay provides a discussion of this new approach to education, the possibilities of the contributions progressive schools made…

As has been noted in previous studies, the great social significance of the schoolhouse in a community, the fact that it served often both as the literal center of a community as well as its social center, afforded teachers greater opportunity to interact with students outside school doors. Compared to today, teachers were considerably more likely…

John Lawrence Childs was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on January 11, 1889, the second child of John Nelson Childs and Helen Janette (Nettie) Smith. In childhood Childs absorbed the values of industry, democracy, and a traditional, but socially conscious, religion. Childs was a Methodist and an intensely private person not given to talking about…