Wirt, William Albert
Wirt, William Albert,
1874–1938, American educator, b. Markle, Ind., grad. DePauw Univ. (Ph.B., 1898; Ph.D., 1916). In 1907 he became superintendent of schools in Gary, Ind., where he developed a plan of school operation (see progressive educationprogressive education,movement in American education. Confined to a period between the late 19th and mid-20th cent., the term "progressive education" is generally used to refer only to those educational programs that grew out of the American reform effort known as the
..... Click the link for more information. ) known variously as the Gary plan, the platoon system, and Wirt's "Work-Study-Play" plan. This system increased the utilization of the school plant by alternating classes between regular and special teachers.