George Counts
| George Sylvester Counts | |
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| Born | December 9, 1889 Baldwin City, Kansas, United States |
| Died | November 10, 1974 (aged 84) Belleville, Illinois United States |
George Sylvester Counts (December 9, 1889 – November 10, 1974) was an American educator and influential education theorist.
An early proponent of the progressive education movement of John Dewey, Counts became its leading critic affiliated with the school of Social reconstructionism in education. Counts is credited for influencing several subsequent theories, particularly critical pedagogy. Counts wrote dozens of important papers and 29 books about education. He was also highly active in politics as a leading advocate of teachers' unions, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, the founder of the New York State Liberal Party, and as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Counts graduated from Baker University in 1911 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then became a high school principal, a science and math teacher, and an athletic coach before heading off to graduate school. While attending graduate school at the University of Chicago in 1913, Counts was influenced by John Dewey and Francis W. Parker. He planned on majoring in sociology until his brother-in-law encouraged him to go into education. Counts then decided he would major in education but minor in sociology and social science. During this time he was a student of Charles Hubbard Judd, a leading proponent of the science of education. It was uncommon during this time to combine a career in education with anything other than psychology. Counts took great pride in knowing he was Judd's first student to not minor in psychology. Counts earned a doctorate in education at the University of Chicago in 1916. His experience studying sociology under Albion W. Small during this period is attributed for encouraging Counts to concentrate on the sociological dimension of educational research.
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