36: Selected Writings of William C. Bagley

The first three sections of this paper were prepared by the writer for discussion by a small group which met at Atlantic City on February 26, 1938, and which adopted the name, The Essentialist Committee for the Advancement of American Education. An unauthorized release to the press including a few statements from this paper gave rise to rather wide publicity and led to somewhat fiery denunciations by prominent leaders in American educational theory. For this reason the first three sections are here published essentially as they were first presented. The article is published on the sole responsibility of the writer, and not as an official pronouncement of the Committee, although the members of the Committee are in substantial agreement with the position here taken and have suggested only minor changes, almost all of which have been made in revising the original draft. The Managing Editor of Educational Administration and Supervision has kindly agreed to publish further articles dealing with the same problem. It is hoped that other members of the Committee will make contributions. The Committee includes in addition to the writer: Dr. M. Demiashkevich; Dr. Walter H. Ryle; Dr. M. L. Shane; Mr. F. Alden Shaw, Chairman and Organizer; Dr. Louis Shores; Dr. Guy M. Whipple.