Educational Experimentation in National Social Policy

Abstract

The need for experimentation is clear. But in reviewing the history of educational experimentation—from Progressivism through the "Grey Areas" projects of the 1950's and the War on Poverty—the author suggests that fruitful experimentation demands a difficult balance of "real world" involvement and political insulation. The history is particularly relevant to an understanding of the origin, evolution, and prospects of the recent "Experimental Schools" Proposal.