Young, Ella Flagg

Jackie M. Blount

Ella Flagg Young (1845–1918), who served as superintendent of the Chicago Schools from 1909 to 1915, arguably was one of the greatest public school educators in U.S. history. From 1862, when she began teaching, until 1915, when she retired at the age of 70, Young amassed formidable public education experience. She became the first woman to lead a major school district in the United States when she assumed the Chicago superintendency. During her years in office, the school system faced severe city budget shortfalls, political corruption, rapid enrollment growth, a range of social problems, and a new teacher union movement. She addressed these withering challenges with a series of innovative programs that district employees enthusiastically adopted and educators around the country emulated. A year into her superintendency, she also became the first woman elected to the presidency of the powerful National Education Association, a role that placed her squarely in ...

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