Part I The Foundation and Rise of the Laboratory School, 1894–1898 -- 1. Future Vision—A School Experiment in the Making -- 2. Precarious Undertaking—The Establishment of the University Primary School -- 3. Vital Necessity—The Reconstruction of the University Elementary School -- Part II High Tide and the Pitfalls of Practice, 1898–1901 -- 4. At last—The Stabilization of the Laboratory School -- 5. Reaching the Peak—Image Promotion and Public Response -- 6. Teachers and Students—Structural Frictions -- 7. Demanding Task—Putting Theory into Practice -- Part III The Fall and Dissolution of the Laboratory School, 1901–1904 -- 8. The Challenge—Francis Parker ante portas -- 9. Mounting Problems—The Beginning of the End -- 10. The Final Year—Dubious Decisions -- Part IV The Evaluation of the Experiment -- 11. Dewey as Administrator—The Democrat as Autocrat -- 12. Dewey as Pedagogue—The Pragmatist as Idealist -- 13. Afterlife—The School’s Impact and Dewey’s Influence.

The Laboratory School is presumably the most famous experimental school of the progressive education movement. Founded in 1894 by John Dewey and President William R. Harper, the Laboratory School existed at the University of Chicago for seven and a half years, and even after more than a century, remains a beacon of hope and inspiration for many educators. The present volume ventures to provide the first institutional history of the Laboratory School and to situate the school in its contemporary context. Drawing on new archival and historical materials, the book tells the story of a legendary school experiment that experienced a steep rise and a dramatic fall due to unsuitable structures and unfortunate decisions.