Chapter 10: Vision, Practice, Reflection: The Influence of Four Women on Progressive Education

The history of progressive curriculum and pedagogy within public schooling offers educators opportunities to consider the role of teachers, especially women teachers, in shaping both theory and practice. The work of four women, spread over many decades, exemplifies how commitments to philosophical beliefs about the nature of schooling in a democracy are honed through innovative and thoughtful practice that, in turn, leads to reflective analyses to share with others. These progressive women educators exemplify different types of contributions to the development of progressivism in schooling.

Marietta Pierce Johnson established the Organic School in Fairhope, Alabama, that became known worldwide. Laura Zirbes, as a teacher and then teacher educator, developed, described, and nurtured progressive pedagogy. Sybil Marshall experimented with and reflected on her teaching practice in public-school settings. And Margaret Willis supported the development of progressive practice, not only through her teaching but also through her efforts in supporting deliberation among colleagues regarding schoolwide curriculum development. These activities are the challenges faced by practitioners in their efforts to develop progressive education as a viable and rigorous curricular approach.