Teacher Education in Summer Institutes, Chautauqua, and National Education Association Meetings, 1880s–1900s: Roots of University Summer Sessions

• In Event: Necessity of Teacher Activism and Professional Development: Historical Perspectives

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of early summer education for schoolteachers both in preparing the teaching force for U.S. public schools and in inspiring institutions of higher education to begin offering summer sessions. From the 1880s into the 1900s, teachers’ institutes, freestanding programs such as the Chautauqua Institution, and the annual meeting of the National Education Association were the primary providers of training for teachers during their “off” months. These early approaches to summer education for teachers were instrumental in the professional preparation of teachers as well as in the establishment of summer sessions at colleges and universities.

Author

• Christine A. Ogren, University of Iowa