The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1896-1904 (the Dewey Years)

An Analysis of Four Historical Perspectives

David Comp
International Higher Education Consulting
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/
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The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools are internationally known and

respected. This paper will analyze historical writings on The University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools from 1896 to 1904. These dates coincide with the tenure of John

Dewey at the University of Chicago (1894 to 1904) until his departure to Columbia

University. While the focus of this paper is on the founding and early years of the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (known as the Dewey School from 1896 to

1901) no analysis can be complete without significant attention paid to John Dewey and

his work at the University of Chicago to establish the school. When searching for

secondary sources to conduct this analysis, the goal was to select resources from different

time periods. This goal was accomplished by having sources from 1936, 1967 and two

from the mid-1990’s.

Secondary Sources Analysis

Authors’ Backgrounds

After reading these four secondary sources on the history of the University of

Chicago Laboratory Schools I determined that the first step in my analysis should focus

on the authors themselves. Specifically, I wanted to learn more about their various

backgrounds and, if possible, their motives for writing about the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools. Understanding an author’s background helps the reader gain a better

understanding of the story/portrayal the author is sharing and provides some context

about any assumptions they are making. Ida DePencier, author of The History of the

Laboratory Schools: The University of Chicago, 1896-1965 (1967), was a beloved 5th

grade teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools for many years who lived

to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Laboratory Schools at the age of 102. Ida
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DePencier was also involved in writing Experiencing Education: 100 Years of Learning

at The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (1996) with William Harms.

William Harms is currently the Senior News Editor of the University of Chicago

News Office. It is unclear what Harms’ affiliation was with the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools in 1996. However, it is very likely the he was employed by the

University of Chicago and perhaps even in the News Office as he is today. Additionally,

if Harms had school aged children prior to or into the mid-1990’s it is possible that they

attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Katherine Camp Mayhew and Anna Camp Edwards’ book The Dewey School

was first published in 1936 and later reprinted in 1965 by a new publishing company.

Katherine Mayhew and Anna Edwards were sisters and former teachers at the University

of Chicago Laboratory Schools when they researched this book. Katherine Mayhew

served as Vice-Principle in charge of curriculum development and Anna Edwards served

as a History teacher followed by a time as a special tutor working with all departments

(ages) at the school. The initial work on this book was conducted by Alice Dewey (wife

of John Dewey) with Katherine Mayhew but after Mrs. Dewey’s death in 1927, Anna

Edwards joined her sister to complete the book (p. x). It’s interesting to note that John

Dewey himself wrote the introduction to this book. It’s not surprising that DePencier,

Harms, Mayhew and Edwards were all affiliated with the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools in some capacity. Their views all shed a positive light on the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools as well as on John Dewey.

The final author, Gra Borup-Nielsen, provides a foreign perspective. In her book,

A Study of the Two Experimental Schools of C.N. Starcke and John Dewey (1995),
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Borup-Nielsen attempts to identify the similarities between the two experimental schools

founded by these two professors and to find a connection between the two since data

suggest that the two were unaware of the work of the other. C.N. Starcke of Denmark

founded an experimental school at the turn of the 20th century in Copenhagen, from 1899-

1911 (p. x). As Borup-Nielsen points out, little is known about C.N. Starcke in the

United States (p. x). It’s important to note that Gra Borup-Nielsen is the granddaughter

of C.N. Starcke and this relationship poses certain questions on the motives and biases of

the author. Is Borup-Nielsen trying to bring a certain prestige to her grandfather’s school

and educational philosophy (and to a certain extent her own family lineage) by

identifying and comparing similarities between him and Dewey (who is known

worldwide) or is she simply providing a comparative analysis of these two men, their

philosophies and their schools to add a different perspective to the great body of literature

on John Dewey? In other words, are her motives in writing her book personal, academic

or a combination of the two.

Resources Consulted by Authors

It is safe to say that many of John Dewey’s essays and papers were consulted by

the authors while researching their books. This is especially true in The Dewey School

(1936) by Katherine Mayhew and Anna Edwards. A significant number of Dewey’s

works were consulted and incorporated into their research. In addition, given their

affiliation with the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and relationships with both

John Dewey and his wife Alice, Mayhew and Edwards were able to obtain rich

qualitative data from their colleagues and friends at the school. Katherine Mayhew and
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Anna Edwards were also able to successfully integrate many secondary resources from

journal articles and books from the 1920’s and 1930’s into their research.

In Ida DePencier’s The History of the Laboratory Schools: The University of

Chicago, 1896-1965 (1967) she follows a similar approach of consulting other resources

for her research. However, it seems the majority of her information is taken from her

own experiences and memory. When she does refer to other resources they tend to be

primarily from Dewey’s essays, papers, and some other key individuals and internal

documents associated with the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Gra Borup-Nielsen incorporates many of Dewey’s philosophical views into her

comparative research. She does this in order to help identify the similarities between

Starcke and Dewey’s schools. Borup-Nielsen also sites several other resources including

Katherine Mayhew and Anna Edwards’ The Dewey School and Ida DePencier’s The

History of the Laboratory Schools: The University of Chicago, 1896-1965 previously

described.

In Experiencing Education: 100 Years of Learning at The University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools (1996), William Harms and Ida DePencier make reference to other

resources including writings by Dewey himself, reports and documents from previous

teachers and other followers of Dewey’s educational philosophy, and the three other

books analyzed in this study. It’s clear that there are specific resources the authors are

consulting but they are not cited in any formal manner or found in any reference section.

This book is what I refer to as “coffee table history.” It’s the perfect book to place on

your coffee table. The resources Harms and DePencier refer to in their book are few but
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substantial for the type of story they want to portray in celebrating the 100th anniversary

of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Establishment of the Dewey School and Reorganization into the Laboratory School

In order to fully understand and appreciate the factors that led to the establishment

of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools one must not only inform themselves on

John Dewey and his educational philosophy but also on William Rainey Harper, the first

president of the University of Chicago. Two years prior to coming to the University of

Chicago to Chair the Department of Philosophy in 1896, John Dewey wrote to President

Harper informing him what other institutions, including Cornell, Harvard, and Columbia,

were doing in the fields of pedagogy and experimental psychology (Harms and

DePencier, p. 3). It is notable that in 1894, when John Dewey wrote President Harper,

the University of Chicago was only two years old and it was already being compared to

the Ivy League. Today, Ivy League institutions and the University of Chicago are

considered peer institutions and regularly compare themselves to each other.

A third individual who was influential to the organization and early development

of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools was Colonel Francis Wayland Parker.

The following brief description provides some historical context and reveals the

relationships between John Dewey, William Rainey Harper and Colonel Francis Parker.

After the war, Colonel Parker served as the school Superintendent in Quincy,

Massachusetts and then came to Chicago in 1880 to serve as Principle of the Cook

County Normal School. In 1899 a wealthy philanthropist from Chicago, Mrs. Emmons

Blaine, wanted to start a private school called the Chicago Institute to serve as a teachers

college under the leadership of Colonel Francis Parker. Mrs. Blaine’s commitment to
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provide one million dollars was very appealing to President Harper and the Chicago

Institute became the School of Education at the University of Chicago in 1901 (Harmes

and DePencier, p. 7) or 1902 (Mayhew and Edwards, p. 12). The Dewey School had

already been operational under the direction of John Dewey and the University’s

Department of Pedagogy for approximately five years by the time the Colonel Parker and

his Chicago Institute began their affiliation with the University of Chicago. Both Dewey

and Parker were progressive but held many differing views on education. Parker’s school

was heavily endowed while Dewey’s school had no endowment. For a couple of years,

the University of Chicago operated two separate elementary schools, the Dewey

Laboratory School and the Parker University Elementary School (Harms and DePencier,

p. 7). In 1902 (Harmes and DePencier, p. 8) or 1903 (Mayhew and Edwards, p. 14),

Colonel Parker died and after much discussion between President Harper and his

administrators, President Harper agreed to merge the two schools along with two other

local schools (The Chicago Manual Training School and the South Side Academy) and

John Dewey became head of the School of Education at the University of Chicago

(Mayhew and Edwards, p. 14). As noted, there are two significant discrepancies in the

dates of Colonel Parker’s Chicago Institutes incorporation into the University of Chicago

and Colonel Parker’s death between William Harms and Ida DePencier’s Experiencing

Education: 100 Years of Learning at The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

(1996) and Katherine Mayhew and Anna Edwards’ The Dewey School (1936).

Referencing an additional secondary source may help clarify this discrepancy.

John Dewey, founder and head of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
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As can be expected, literature on the founding of the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools primarily focuses on John Dewey. When reading various resources

one can learn much about his life, his educational philosophy and the influences on his

beliefs, and his involvement in establishing the University of Chicago Laboratory

Schools. All four resources selected for this analysis provide comprehensive information

on the man who is John Dewey. Authors Harms and DePencier (in both of her

contributions) outline John Dewey’s background but are not too detailed. These books,

however, are not “scholarly” in nature as The Dewey School book is by Katherine

Mayhew and Anna Edwards. This is not to say that an educational researcher

investigating the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools should not read Harms and

DePencier’s works. Mayhew and Edwards provide much more detailed information on

Dewey’s life and educational philosophy and support their descriptions by incorporating

primary source data such as excerpts or full length addresses and reports into their

chapters. Gra Borup-Nielsen focuses specifically on John Dewey and his approach to

education in an effort to compare philosophies with her grandfather C.N. Starcke. She

writes about John Dewey as a person but does not elaborate on the history of the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and his role in their establishment.

Colonel Francis Wayland Parker, University of Chicago School of Education

Ida DePencier (in both of her books) and William Harms provide excellent

background information on Colonel Parker. They provide clear information on his life in

New England both prior to and after the Civil War and the impact he had on education in

Chicago upon his arrival in 1880. DePencier and Harms also provide an excellent

description on Colonel Parker’s educational philosophy and his interactions with John
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Dewey. Katherine Mayhew and Anna Edwards provide much more detailed information

on Colonel Parker and his influence and involvement at the University of Chicago. Their

book is much more detailed in describing the history of the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools. As with DePencier and Harms, Mayhew and Edwards provide

excellent information on Colonel Parker’s early life influences and the importance he

held in education in New England and Chicago. Gra Borup-Nielsen does not cover

Colonel Parker in her writings.

William Rainey Harper, first president of the University of Chicago

As mentioned previously, one cannot discuss the history of the University of

Chicago Laboratory Schools, specifically the first years of the school, without giving

significant credit given to William Rainey Harper. President Harper, along with John D.

Rockefeller, had the early vision to make the University of Chicago a world class

institution of higher education. During the first few years of the University of Chicago’s

existence, President Harper was charged with the task of recruiting educational leaders

from across the country to become faculty members. Although John Dewey was first to

make contact with President Harper, it was President Harper who understood and agreed

with Dewey’s vision and invited Dewey to Chair the Department of Philosophy and

allowing him to develop the University of Chicago into a leader in pedagogy. Ida

DePencier and William Harms do a wonderful job of describing President Harper’s role

in bringing Dewey to the University of Chicago and in working with both John Dewey,

Colonel Parker and others during the early years of the schools. Katherine Mayhew and

Anna Edwards provide very detailed descriptions on President Harper’s involvement and

on the decision making processes of early issues such as the Dewey/Parker two
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elementary schools conflict. Mayhew and Edwards elaborate on the discussions among

the President Harper and the Trustees to ultimately merge the two schools. As described

above with Colonel Parker, Gra Borup-Nielsen does not cover President William Rainey

Harper in her writings.

Curriculum

While this analysis paper could focus entirely on the curriculum of the University

of Chicago Laboratory Schools and John Dewey’s educational philosophy I decided to

include it as only one small part of my analysis. It is safe to say that all four resources

provide sufficient attention to pedagogy and the curriculum of the University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools in their early years. In Ida DePencier’s solo work The History of the

Laboratory Schools: The University of Chicago, 1896-1965 and Katherine Mayhew and

Anna Edwards, The Dewey School, you feel the excitement and sense of pride of the

authors when describing the curriculum. This, of course, should be expected by former

teachers of the schools. Also, given the relationship that Katherine Mayhew and Anna

Edwards had with John Dewey and his wife Alice (appointed by John Dewey to head the

elementary school in 1903) their writings reflect their commitment and devotion to

Dewey’s educational philosophy. Gra Borup-Nielsen provides excellent information on

the curriculum and pedagogy created by Dewey for his schools. She provides specific

information on such headings as trial and error, educational effort, instructor’s attitude,

corporal punishment, problem children, fault-finding out, pupil performance, discipline,

geography, nature study, history, arithmetic and mathematics applied. These subject

headings used by Borup-Nielsen help in her comparison between the educational

approaches and schools of John Dewey and her grandfather C.N. Starcke.
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Brief Summary of Resources

The History of the Laboratory Schools: The University of Chicago, 1896-1965

(1967) by Ida DePencier

This is a wonderful book that should be consulted when researching the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. DePencier adds good insight into the early

success of the Laboratory Schools. In addition, she describes two variables that make the

Laboratory Schools a success. First is the Parent Association which dates back the

earliest years of the schools. Parent involvement has always been encouraged and has

always been an important factor in the development of the school. Second, to understand

the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (as well as the University of Chicago) you

have to understand the surrounding community of Hyde Park.

Experiencing Education: 100 Years of Learning at The University of Chicago

Laboratory Schools (1996) by William Harms and Ida DePencier

Earlier, I described this book as “coffee table history.” This book has over 100

pages and the layout allows for glossy pictures and creative formatting. This is an

excellent resource on the history of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools that

would be interesting to the casual reader as well as for the educational researchers

interested in the history of this extraordinary school..

The Dewey School (1965) by Katherine Camp Mayhew and Anna Camp Edwards

This book is the most detailed book I read for this analysis as well as the longest

at 489 pages. This is a must read for the educational researcher as it provides in depth

analysis and description of the John Dewey, the University of Chicago Laboratory School
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and the other individuals who played a significant role in its establishment. It also

incorporates primary resources by John Dewey and others which the other books do not.

A Study of the Two Experimental Schools of C.N. Starcke and John Dewey

(1995), by Gra Borup-Nielsen

This book by Gra Borup-Nielsen was the least informative in terms of historical

information on the founding of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools of the four

books I selected for this analysis. Borup-Nielsen provides excellent analysis of Dewey’s

educational philosophy and the curriculum of the Laboratory Schools. This book

contributes to the scholarship on John Dewey but the name is a bit deceiving.
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References

Borup-Nielsen, G. (1995). A study of the two experimental schools of C.N.

Starcke and John Dewey. Lewiston, NY: Mellen University Press.

DePencier, Ida. (1967). The history of the Laboratory Schools: The University of

Chicago, 1896-1965. Chicago: Quandrangle Books.

Harms, W., & DePencier, I. (1996). Experiencing education: 100 years of

learning at The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Orland Park, IL: Alpha Beta

Press.

Mayhew, K.C. & Edwards, A.C. (1966). The Dewey School: The Laboratory

School at The University of Chicago, 1896-1903. New York: Atherton Press.