author
Ella Flagg Young
1845–1918
A pioneering educator who changed the course of public schooling in Chicago, she became the first woman to lead a major city school system in the United States. Her work championed teachers, students, and a more democratic vision of education.
1 Audiobook
The Young and Field Literary Readers, Book 2
by Ella Flagg Young, Walter Taylor Field
About the author
Born in Buffalo, New York, on January 15, 1845, she moved to Chicago as a child and went on to graduate from Chicago Normal School in 1862. She spent decades in the Chicago public schools as a teacher, principal, and district leader, building a reputation for independent thinking and steady, practical leadership.
In 1909, she was appointed superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, becoming the first woman to head a major urban school system in the United States. She was also elected president of the National Education Association in 1910, a sign of the national respect she had earned as an educational reformer.
She worked closely with progressive ideas in education and was associated with the University of Chicago and with John Dewey's educational circle. Remembered for supporting teacher professionalism and a more humane, student-centered school system, she remained an important figure in American education until her death in Washington, D.C., on October 26, 1918.