Counts, George S. (1889–1974)

Dalton B. Curtis Jr.

Born near Baldwin, Kansas, George Sylvester Counts reflected the values of diligence and perseverance learned at home in a life of scholarship and political activity spanning more than 5 decades. He sought to inform educators and the American public about the social foundations of schooling and to promote continuous reform of education in light of evolving social conditions. Counts demonstrated his commitment to an egalitarian democracy through political action in the American Federation of Teachers and the Labor and Liberal political parties. He is best known for asking the provocative question “Dare the School Build a New Social Order?” during the Great Depression. In the first phase of his professional and public life, Counts studied schools using social scientific methods. The second and third phases saw him promoting significant educational reform and, later, expanding the scope of his work into historical and social analyses of education, as well as public ...

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