author
David Allen Anderson
1874–1958
An early 20th-century educator and college president, he wrote a detailed study of Norwegian public education after traveling through the country and observing its schools firsthand. His work offers a clear window into how another nation organized learning at a time when American education was rapidly changing.
1 Audiobook
The School System of Norway
by David Allen Anderson
About the author
Born in Lamoni, Iowa, in 1874, David Allen Anderson built his career in education as a teacher, scholar, and administrator. He studied at the University of Iowa, earned advanced degrees there, and later continued his studies in Europe.
Anderson is best known as the author of The School System of Norway (1913), a close study of Norwegian education based on travel, observation, interviews, and research. In the book's prefatory material, he explains that he visited Norway with official credentials to examine its schools, giving the work the feel of both a careful survey and a personal investigation.
Alongside his writing, Anderson held major academic leadership roles. He taught at Pennsylvania State College and later served as president of Kent State Normal School in Ohio and of Northern State Teachers College in South Dakota. He died in 1958, leaving behind a career tied closely to public education and educational reform.