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Wisconsin has an international reputation as a leader in progressive education. "School Days" recalls some of the people who helped build that image, as well as one-room schools and a beloved Milwaukee institution.
Hosts Tracy Will and Debbie Kmetz open the program outside the building that housed the nation's first kindergarten, started by German immigrants in Watertown.
Viewers see the story of Helen Parkhurst, whose international influence
and innovative ideas put her in the national spotlight. After spending
her early days in Durand, she went on to pioneer the Dalton Method of
teaching and at one time was the supervisor of all Montessori teachers
in the United States. Eventually, she branched out to radio and television
with the program "A Child's World." Her ideas and career brought her
plaudits from around the globe.
The days of one-room schoolhouses are remembered, and a restored one-room
school in Fitchburg is visited. Students and a teacher recall the days
when different ages shared the same space and some 6,000 one-room schools
taught children across rural Wisconsin.
The landmark battle over University of Wisconsin professor Richard Ely
and academic freedom on campus is detailed. Ely's critiques of the labor
battles in the 1890s led to his being branded an anarchist in some quarters.
In 1894, Ely faced a UW inquiry into his beliefs and methods, a "trial" that resulted in his rights being upheld by the UW Regents, a decision that included the famous "sifting and winnowing" statement. That declaration, immortalized on a plaque on Bascom Hill, reads: "Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found."
Also remembered is St. Benedict the Moor, a nationally respected boarding
school and Catholic Church that served as a spiritual anchor for Milwaukee's
African-American community. A reunion of St. Benedict's students provides
the occasion for recalling a school that drew African-American youngsters
from around the nation. Alumni look back at St. Benedict's as a place
with firm rules and high standards that laid the foundation for success
in life.
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