Dalton plan

/ ˈdɔːltən /

noun

1. a system devised to encourage pupils to learn and develop at their own speed, using libraries and other sources to complete long assignments

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalton plan¹

C20: named after Dalton, Massachusetts, where the plan was used in schools

Example Sentences

Josephine P. Boardman Crane, 98, pioneer of progressive education, in Falmouth, Mass. A philanthropist and founder of the New York Museum of Modern Art, Mrs. Crane was the original sponsor of the Dalton Plan, a much-copied experiment in education adopted in 1919 in the Dalton, Mass., public school near her home.

From Time Magazine Archive

Landmarks were Miss Helen Parkhurst's Dalton School in Manhattan, which introduced the famed Dalton Plan of work contracts for individual pupils, and Carleton Washburne's system in Winnetka, Ill., which became in 1919 the first public Progressive school system in the U. S. Today the Dalton School no longer uses the original Dalton Plan and Winnetka is considered a little backward by Progressive educators.

From Time Magazine Archive