Laboratory Schools
In the early twentieth century, G. Stanley Hall, an American psychologist, was a principal founder of what we now consider the field of child psychology (Barbour, 2003). To conduct research into how the minds of children work, he and his colleagues needed access to natural but controlled settings where subjects could be observed over long periods of time. Meanwhile, the progressive movement, led by John Dewey, sparked intense curiosity about the teaching/learning dynamic and a desire to study curriculum theory. Researchers soon established laboratory preschools in which young children could be cared for and educated while being carefully observed. This movement crystallized during the 1920s.
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To facilitate faculty research and provide practical experience for teachers-in-training, these programs were primarily located at universities. Many of the early programs are still in operation, including the program John Dewey established at the University of Chicago in 1897 and the Bureau of Educational Experiments (1919), which became the Bank Street College in New York City.
While support for laboratory programs has waxed and waned over time and some have endured fluctuating levels of financial and institutional support, their role in the research history of early childhood education continues to evolve. Some, like Bank Street, ended up producing their own curricula, while others allow curriculum developers to try out their ideas and then take what they had learned back to their own settings.
Either way, what these programs have learned about children, and their continuing commitment to research, continues to influence curriculum development. For example, at Bank Street, researchers discovered the importance of field trips and helping children make connections between curriculum and the real world. This knowledge changed curriculum development: Instead of setting up curriculum with materials entirely designed for instructional purposes, most curricula now advocate including real-world materials in the classroom. Dramatic play areas might include pots, pans, baskets, dishware, and grocery store items along with replicas of food for play. Curriculum today also promotes opportunities for children to visit places like a local bakery or fire station so that they can base their classroom activities on actual experience.