Bordentown: Where Dewey's "Learning to Earn" Met Du Boisian Educational Priorities: The Unique Legacy of a Once Thriving but Largely Forgotten School for Black Students

Abstract:John Dewey and W.E.B. Du Bois were prominent critics of how vocational education programs were often used to restrict rather than enhance student aspirations. An overview of the Bordentown Manual Training and Industrial School for Colored Youth (1886–1955) suggests that it met requirements both men articulated for the right kind of vocational education; however, the school's legacy has been largely ignored by historians. Further, Dewey and Du Bois, who knew of but had little interaction with each other, may never have discussed their shared interest in vocational education or their awareness of the school's mission and accomplishments.