Colonel Francis Wayland Parker, the second "founder" of the Laboratory Schools, who arrived at the University in 1901 (Archival Photographic Files)
Exhibition curated by Daniel Meyer, Alice Schreyer, and Valarie Brocato, with Laboratory Schools administrators and staff.
Founded in 1896 by noted American educator John Dewey, the Laboratory Schools of the University of Chicago have been one of the nation's most important centers for innovation in primary and secondary education. This exhibition examines the pedagogical philosophy of Dewey and the founding group of Lab Schools teachers, educators, and recent advances in academic standards and educational technology. The exhibition also demonstrates the varied experiences of students at all levels as they learned and explored individual potential in Lab Schools classrooms, laboratories, theaters, machine shops, art studios, and field trips. Organized by freelance researcher Kim Coventry and Alice Karl of the Laboratory Schools and based primarily on material in the University of Chicago Archives, the exhibition also includes letters, documents, publications, and photographs from the files of the Laboratory Schools as well as memorabilia on loan from alumni of the Laboratory Schools.