This chapter explores how the Danish folk high school tradition influenced Wisconsin's Progressive Movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It argues that the Danish model—centred on lifelong learning, self-enlightenment, and democratic engagement—was key in shaping this era. By analysing the University of Wisconsin's educational policies, which evolved into the celebrated "Wisconsin Idea," the chapter demonstrates how these policies were partially inspired by the Danish folk high school model conceived by N.F.S. Grundtvig over half a century earlier. Using historical anthropology, material culture studies, and migration studies, along with autoethnographic insights from the author’s Scandinavian heritage and teaching experience in Denmark, the chapter adds to research on grassroots-driven educational change, highlighting how community movements can transform educational policy from the ground up.