The Mission
The instruction plan at University Demonstration High School was like no other high school plan. The curriculum was pragmatic and experimental. The instruction was a unit which included integrated subjects. The units consisted of long assignments, study-learning-teaching workshops, classroom library periods, individual and group conferences, and individual study. The students participated in planning, organizing, and controlling the school.
Teachers guided, challenged, and encouraged the students. They didn't lecture, dictate, or use command style methods while teaching. Problems were solved as a group or with the assistance of a teacher. There were no grades, instead a student was evaluated on achievement of attitudes, appreciation, ideals, skills, and knowledge. This enabled students to make a satisfactory adjustment to the adult social, civic, educational, and economic life.
The progressive curriculum (based on the Dalton Plan) pioneered innovations in education throughout the United States including our current model of student council. University High School's mission was far ahead of its time in the field of education.
