Statement by Commissioner of Education Earl McGrath, Progressive Education, Public Education, and Democracy
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OCR Page 1 of 12PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION, PUBLIC EDUCATION & DEMOCRACY *
Coming as it does at the mid-point of this troubled century, our
re-examination of progressive education should help to point up the
critical challenge which America's social institutions must face in the
years immediately ahead. For the basic principles of progressive educa-
tion, as I understand them, stem from the basic principles of democratic
living. And today, democracy is being put to the test in overy corner
of the globe, with the responsibilities of leadership in the fight
against tyranny and injustice resting squarely on the shoulders of the
American people.
It is a fundamental tenet of democracy that every human being
must respect the integrity, personality and individuality of his fellow
men. This democratic concept recognises that all people differ widely
in an infinite variety of ways, such as their personal beliefs, their
cultural tastes and their social preferences. Insofar as an individual
does not interfere excessively with the activities of his associates,
democracy holds that he should be completely free to express these many
differences in any manner he might choose.
When we transfer this idea to our modern educational system, we
find a basic principle of progressive education. Every child is known
to have distinct intellectual, emotional, and physical characteristics,
as well as differing rates of growth and development. Progressive
educators believe that the school must recognise these individual
differences and build its program accordingly. As the right of individual
*Address prepared by Earl J. McGrath, Commissioner of Education, and
delivered by Howard H. Cummings, Office of Education, Federal Security
Agency, Washington, D.C., to the Fourth Session of "Progressive
Education-A Re-examination, The New School, New York, N.Y., Monday,
November 13, 1950.
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