William Wirt (educator)

William Albert Wirt (1874–1938) was a superintendent of schools in Gary, Indiana. Wirt developed the Gary Plan for the more efficient use of school facilities, a reform of the Progressive Movement that was widely adopted in other cities.

William Wirt was born on a farm near Markle, Indiana, in 1874. After attending school in Markle and Bluffton, Indiana, Mr. Wirt entered DePauw University and graduated with an M.A. in Political Science. He began teaching in Redkey, Indiana and assumed the post of superintendent of schools in Bluffton in 1899.

While in Bluffton, Wirt developed a philosophy of education partially based upon a set of values derived from his rural background. He viewed the self-sufficient family farm as containing all of the characteristics necessary for a student's development, particularly vocational training, physical activity, and character growth. Work and productivity characterized rural life, and Wirt believed that the rapid urbanization occurring in the early twentieth century threatened the rural values necessary for total development of children. Wirt maintained that the public schools should provide an oasis to instill the values of family, work, and productivity among urban students and produce an efficient, orderly society of solid, productive citizens. In short, Wirt believed that, "Public schools, endowed with the mission of 'the ennobling of daily and common work by making it beautiful'" could solve "the great economic and social problems of our time'“

In 1907, Wirt became superintendent of schools in Gary and began implementing his educational values in the local schools. He initiated teacher hiring standards, designed school buildings, lengthened the school day, and organized the schools according to his ideals. The core of the schools' organization in Gary centered upon the platoon or work-study-play system and americanizing he 63.4percent of children with parents who were immigrants. (Weiner, 2010, p 35) Above the primary grades, students were divided into two platoons—one platoon used the academic classrooms(which were deemphasized), while the second platoon was divided between the shops, nature studies, auditorium, gymnasium, and outdoor facilities split between girls and boys. "Girls learned cooking, sewing, and book keeping while the boys learning metal work, cabinetry, woodworking, painting, printing, shoemaking, and plumbing." (Weiner, 2010, p 35) In the Gary plan, all of the school equipment remained in use during the entire school day; Rather then opening up new schools for the overwhelming population of students, it was hoped that the "Gary Plan would save the city money by utilizing all rooms in existing schools by rotating children through classrooms, auditoriums, playgrounds, and gymnasiums." (Weiner, 2010, p 35)

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