Carleton Washburne is a pivotal character in The Winnetka Public Schools' story. He is known historically as long-time and highly influential superintendent (1919-1943), developer of the Winnetka Plan (an approach to schooling that required both mastery of content and social/emotional skill development), and president of the Progressive Education Association (1939-1943). His ideas and work were imitated and utilized extensively across the United States as the field of psychology emerged and demonstrated that learning occurs at the deepest levels when it is tied to important, real-life experiences for children.

 

One of the ways that Washburne shared his vision of education with parents was in his book What Is Progressive Education? With his expertise in this field, and the title of the book, one might expect a comprehensive definition, followed by a series of practices or philosophical guidelines that would serve as a beacon for parents and educators.

 

Instead, as you read this book (as all teachers new to Winnetka do!) you discover that progressive education is an ideal, one that is constantly changing and morphing as we incorporate the changing needs of students. "A child is a very complex organism. And no two children are alike. What experience is this particular child ready for? What are his needs? What is society demanding of him...How can he live most effectively as a child and develop most effectively as a person and as a contributing member of society...?" From an educator's point of view, as you might have guessed, these answers are not easy ones. 

 

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