Winnetka Plan

The Winnetka Plan was an innovative curriculum developed by Carlton W. Washburne and [Page 943]implemented in the Winnetka Public School District in 1919. The Winnetka Plan was a curriculum that featured common essentials (e.g., spelling) and creative group activities (e.g., art) as a means of dividing subjects. Students were required to demonstrate mastery in order to advance in the common essential subjects. Students were not required to demonstrate mastery of the creative group activities. The Winnetka Plan emphasized the well-rounded development of the child through the creative activities.

The Plan took its name from Winnetka, Illinois, where Carleton W. Washburne (1889–1968) was superintendent of schools from 1919 to 1943. He served as president of the Progressive Education Association from 1939 to 1943.

The Winnetka Plan was influenced by John Dewey's work. Dewey encouraged innovative pedagogy, and the Winnetka Plan reflected the innovative spirit. The curriculum and school day, according to this Plan, had two parts: common essentials (common knowledge and skills) and creative activities (group activities and self-expression subjects).

Common essentials, or common knowledge and skills, included: spelling, reading, writing, and counting. One-half of the school day was given to the common essentials. Students progressed at their own pace in these subjects. Mastery was at the 100% level, and no student failed according to this Plan. The work was divided into units and each pupil self-checked progress on a worksheet, and when 100% perfect, moved to further work. An advantage of the Winnetka Plan was the absence of a time element for the achievement of goals.

Creative activities included: art, music, drama, crafts, and physical activities. These were social or creative activities that featured projects, reports, and hands-on activities. One-third or more of the school day was given to the creative group activities. Unlike the common essentials, there were no tests of mastery or defined standards for the creative activities. The creative activities of the Winnetka Plan were viewed as a positive feature of the curriculum because they balanced the common essentials and their more traditional format.

According to Ellwood Cubberley, the Winnetka Plan represented a reorganization and a redirection of the school that called for new teaching materials, methods of work, and new testing procedures. Washburne is often credited with the development of workbooks. The self-instruction booklets used by students as part of the Winnetka Plan were early “workbooks.” Students proceeded through the booklets at their own pace and corrected the self-instruction booklets themselves. The students took placement tests to determine the work they needed to master. A recordkeeping system was used to track the progress of individual students. After mastery was demonstrated through completion of a test, the student moved to new material. Mastery learning was an essential feature of the Winnetka Plan.