author
Cora Wilson Stewart
1875–1958
A pioneering Kentucky educator, she turned evening classrooms into a national campaign against adult illiteracy. Her Moonlight Schools helped make learning possible for adults who had long been left out.
1 Audiobook
Moonlight Schools for the Emancipation of Adult Illiterates
by Cora Wilson Stewart
About the author
Born in Kentucky in 1875, she became one of the best-known advocates for adult literacy in the United States. After training as a teacher and working in Rowan County schools, she launched the first Moonlight School in 1911, opening schoolhouses at night so adults could learn to read and write after the workday was done.
The idea spread quickly. Her literacy programs in Kentucky drew national attention, and she went on to promote adult education far beyond her home state. She also broke barriers in public education leadership, including becoming the first woman elected president of the Kentucky Education Association.
Remembered as "The Moonlight-School Lady," she combined practical teaching with a strong reformer's sense of purpose. Her work helped shape the wider adult education movement in America, and her name remains closely tied to the belief that it is never too late to learn.