Francis Wayland Parker Francis Wayland Parker ( October 9 , 1837March 2 , 1902 ) was a pioneer of the progressive school movement in the United States . He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental , physical , and moral . John Dewey called him the " father of progressive education . " He worked to create curriculum that centered on the whole child and a strong language background . He was against standardization , isolated drill and rote learning . He helped to show that education was not just about cramming information into students ’ minds , but about teaching students to think for themselves and become independent people . Biography . Parker was born in Bedford , New Hampshire in Hillsborough County . He was educated in the public schools and began his career as a village teacher in New Hampshire at age 16 . He taught 75 children at Corser Hill at Boscawen , New Hampshire , making 15 dollars a month . Many of his students were older and had been exposed to more of the curriculum than him . After teaching in Boscawen , he began to teach in Auburn , New Hampshire , making 18 dollars a month . At 16 years old , he taught in Hinsdale , Massachusetts , and eventually took charge of all the grammar schools in his town Piscataquis , New Hampshire . At 21 years old he became the principal of a school in Carrolton , Illinois . In August 1861 , at the beginning of the American Civil War , Parker enlisted as a private in the 4th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry . He was elected lieutenant and was later promoted to captain and commander of the company . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the 4th New Hampshire in January 1865 , serving in St . Augustine , Florida — part of that time in the brig . He was captured and held prisoner in North Carolina in May 1865 . After the war ended , Colonel Parker resumed teaching , first in Ohio , where he became the head of the normal school in Dayton , Ohio . In 1872 , he traveled to Germany to study at the Humboldt University of Berlin . In Europe , Parker examined the new methods of pedagogy being developed there , proposed by European theorists , such as Jean - Jacques Rousseau , Friedrich Fröbel , Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and particularly Johann Friedrich Herbart . Parker asserted that students benefit most from reading works of high interest , thereby activating background knowledge . A supporter of balanced instruction , he encouraged the use of the elements of phonics , as well as lists of word families , onsets and rimes , to assist in word recognition . This innovative educator integrated the skill areas of reading , writing , listening and speaking . Parker advocated many of the current language experience and process writing approach methodologies . He believed that children should write across the content areas on subjects that interested them , for enjoyment and that the proper form would come with practice . All writing should be natural and connected to authentic and meaningful activities , using the child ’ s own vocabulary ; in other words , experience based writing . Parker was a teacher , principal and a lecturer , who wanted all children to have their own slate boards , so they could write and draw freely without fear of mistakes . Between 1875 and 1880 , Parker was able to put his philosophy into practice , when he served as superintendent of schools in Quincy , Massachusetts . He was offered the job because of his dynamic personality and passion to change the current schooling system . There , he developed the Quincy Method , which eliminated harsh discipline and de - emphasized rote memorization , replacing them with elements of progressive education , such as group activities , the teaching of the arts and sciences , and informal methods of instruction . He rejected tests , grading and ranking systems . The model was hailed as successful , when in 1879 , responding to critics of the progressive methods , state - ordered testing showed that Quincy pupils surpassed the scores of other school children in Massachusetts . He continued to implement his theories as superintendent of the Boston Public Schools ( 1880 – 83 ) and principal of the Cook County Normal School , Chicago ( 1883 – 99 ) . While Principal of the Cook County Normal School he constantly experimented with the children of Cook County , trying to expand and develop his curriculum . He experimented with new theories and tried to perfect his plan for education . He was not afraid of failure , saying , “ The road to success is through constant blundering " . With his likeable personality and his progressive theories , he was able to reform the Cook County Normal School . Reading , spelling , and writing became a subject known as communication . Art and physical education were added to the weekly curriculum . He taught science through the study of nature . He even created a band with the children who studied music . During this period of time , Parker published five books on education , including : " Talks on Teaching " ( New York , 1883 ) ; " The Practical Teacher " ( 1884 ) ; " Course in Arithmetic " ( 1884 ) ; " Talks on Pedagogies " ( 1894 ) ; and " How to Teach Geography " ( 1885 ) . Dartmouth College awarded Parker the degree of M . A . in 1886 . In the next phase of his educational career , Parker founded and served as principal ( 1899 – 1901 ) for a private experimental school , the Chicago Institute , which became the University of Chicago School of Education in 1901 . In 1901 , Parker merged Chicago Institute with the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and worked with kindergarten and elementary school age children . To further put his theories into practice , the Francis W . Parker School opened in Chicago with an initial enrollment of one hundred and eighty students . A second school was founded in San Diego in 1912 . Both schools exist today . In poor health , Parker was sent by his doctors to the South for a better climate . He died at age 64 in Pass Christian , Harrison County , Mississippi . His ashes were returned to New Hampshire , in May 1902 and were interred at Piscataquog Cemetery , Manchester , New Hampshire . In addition to the schools in Illinois and California , the Francis W . Parker Charter Essential School was founded in Massachusetts in 1995 , in honor of Parker ' s contributions to the field of progressive education . An elementary school in Quincy also bears Parker ' s name .