Sullivan House School: As explored through a Deweyan lens (Illinois, John Dewey)

This case study investigates the pedagogy and practices of Sullivan House School and their relationship to John Dewey's educational principles. These principles are examined through John Dewey's writings and applied to Sullivan House School, an independent alternative school in Chicago. Dewey's educational principles include his beliefs concerning psychology as represented in his early work and in what he later referred to as "the psychological," the concept that learning should start with the interests and concerns of the students. This study, covering the years 1960 through 1999, begins with the experiential education of school founder Janice Greer as she participated in Circle Pines Center and the Peace and Civil Rights Movements. It explores Greer's early efforts at providing an arts center for educationally disadvantaged youth, follows her work as she develops a small free school, then analyzes the school's pedagogy as it expands to serve 100 high school truants, dropouts, and excluded students.; Dewey's psychology and educational principles are interwoven with examples of how Sullivan House School implemented them. These include educative experiences that provide learning, social control through participation in common group activities and democratic society, and the curriculum as a continuum from the psychological to the logical subject. Dewey's ideas are explored through his writings including his 1899 Philosophy of Education lectures (1899/1966); Psychology, 3rd Rev. ed. (1891); The Curriculum and the Child (1902/1956); School and Society (1915/1956); Democracy and Education (1944); Experience and Education (1938); and a number of his essays.; This is a historic, practical and deliberative case study focusing on teachers, students, subject, and milieu through four research techniques: primary source documents, autobiography, biography and interviews. Interviews with Sullivan House staff, historic documents, and school artifacts provided the data concerning Sullivan House School. Sullivan House's Deweyan practices include focus on student's interests and needs; use of discussion, the arts, hands-on opportunities, and field trips; caring and respect; and democratic participation in the school community.; The research results show how different conditions at the school and differences in the individual teacher's knowledge of Dewey's principles affected the school's pedagogy. The study also includes a description of how other alternative schools use seven of Dewey's principles.