author
May Ayres
1888–1953
An early 20th-century education researcher, she wrote practical books on school health and helped shape the measurement of silent reading. Her work sits at the crossroads of statistics, public health, and education.
1 Audiobook
Health Work in the Public Schools
by Leonard Porter Ayres, May Ayres
About the author
May Ayres Burgess was an American author and researcher born in 1888 and remembered for books including The Measurement of Silent Reading (1921) and Healthful Schools (1923). Her writing focused on how schools could better support children's learning and well-being, bringing together careful measurement, public health, and everyday school practice.
Records connected with her life and publications show that she worked in education and research circles linked to statistics and school improvement. She also wrote with other educators and specialists, and her books suggest a strong interest in turning research into useful guidance for teachers, administrators, and school planners.
Although she is not widely known today, her work reflects an important moment in early modern education, when reading assessment and school health were becoming subjects of serious study. She died in 1953.