Jane Addams’ Contributions to American Educational Practices, Policies, and Philosophies

Too often overshadowed by the men in the famed Chicago School (Deegan, Jane Addams and the men of the Chicago school, 1892–1918. Transaction Publishers, 1990), Jane Addams has been overlooked, underestimated, and undertheorized in terms of her contributions to education writ large, to the development of community schools and to advocacy for women, children, immigrants, and refugees in the USA and across the world. A portion of her many astonishing contributions and accomplishments are summarized here in light of their connections to education. In addition, this chapter will highlight the risks and rewards of making herself conspicuous as a world leader in the pursuit of freedom through education and equitable opportunities for women, for children, and for refugee and immigrant communities. How did this woman go from being a respected Chicago icon to being identified by J. Edgar Hoover in 1924 as “the most dangerous woman in America” during the Red Scare and investigated for her leadership in the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom for treason (Federal Bureau of Investigation)? In 1931, she became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, a distinction which caused American perspectives on her contributions to shift abruptly and to warm to her yet again, forgetting how easily she was villainized in years previous.