The Trenton Times published the following article on October 14, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Mercer County professor seeks to recognize Booker T. Washington’s importance to progressive education
By Wendy Plump/For The Times
on October 14, 2013 at 6:30 AMDonald Generals wants to redress a small but significant case of historical neglect, and in the process pin a new title to the legacy of Booker T. Washington, one of the great black advocates of his day.
In his recently published book, “Booker T. Washington: The Architect of Progressive Education,” Generals seeks to establish Washington as the primary force behind the progressive educational movement in America.
Right now, that title rests squarely on the shoulders of John Dewey, a white philosopher and educational reformer who was born in 1859, just three years after Washington.
But where Dewey philosophized about it, Generals writes in his book, Washington created an entire institution based on the theory. He founded Tuskegee University in Alabama on the premise that people ought to be educated from their own starting points — from an elite background, or from the background of plantation slavery.
The issue is of special concern to Generals, a lifelong educator who is the vice president for academic affairs at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor.
MCCC itself, he said during an interview at his office, reflects a similar progressive approach to the one that Washington popularized.
“There is traditional education, where you study Latin, you have to have high entrance exams, you have to know Shakespeare,” Generals explained. “If you weren’t born into a household where Shakespeare was part of your upbringing, you really had no chance.
“Progressive education,” he added, “takes the approach that humans can develop from where they are, based on their experiences and background. “And nobody was doing it like Washington. He and Tuskegee were the ideals in progressive education. His institution was a model of success.”