Skip Navigation

Sign In or Register

West-virginia-encyclopedia-text

SharePrint Elsie Clapp

Elsie_clapp_book_medium

Educator Elsie Ripley Clapp (November 13, 1879–July 28, 1965) in 1934 was named director of the community school in Arthurdale, an experimental federal resettlement community established for victims of the Great Depression. She was a proponent of John Dewey’s doctrine of progressive education, which held that a school is an integral part of its community and must help that community adjust to change. A basic tenet of the Arthurdale school was that the homesteaders—primarily native-born whites who had been relocated from the Scotts Run coal camps in neighboring Monongalia County—could use their own experiences and rural heritage to better their lives.

Under Clapp, the school stressed education for real-life situations. Arithmetic, for example, might be taught by showing children how lumber was measured to build a house. An effort to revive traditional music encouraged students to strengthen their reading and writing skills by making up calls for community square dances. Fiddles and guitars were built in shop classes.

Ultimately, however, this emphasis on self-reliance and traditional culture served to isolate Arthurdale residents. The school was refused accreditation because its curriculum did not meet state standards, and many thought Arthurdale attempted to recapture an agrarian ideal that was irrelevant in an urban and industrial world. Some also have speculated that residents resented the community school because it was run by outsiders. Elsie Clapp left Arthurdale in 1936, and the school became part of the Preston County public school system. Clapp authored the book, Community Schools in Action, in 1939.

This Article was written by Christine M. Kreiser

Last Revised on November 03, 2023

Related Articles


Sources

Stack, Sam F., Jr.. Elsie Ripley Clapp (1879-1965): Her Life and the Community School. New York: Peter Lang, 2004.

Cite This Article

Kreiser, Christine M. "Elsie Clapp." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 03 November 2023. Web. 05 October 2024.

Comments?

There aren't any comments for this article yet.

West Virginia Humanities Council | 1310 Kanawha Blvd E | Charleston, WV 25301 Ph. 304-346-8500 | © 2024 All Rights Reserved

About e-WV | Our Sponsors | Help & Support | Contact Us The essential guide to the Mountain State can be yours today! Click here to order.