Frederick Matthias Alexander and the Bureau of Educational Experiments

Abstract

In 1916, three educational reformers founded the Bureau of Educational Experiments. Between 1916 and 1919, the Bureau had no clear direction. On the one hand, they offered a clearinghouse gathering and distributing educational information, issuing bulletins, preparing exhibitions, and maintaining a specialized library. On the other hand, they subsidized, initiated, and conducted a range of educational experiments. Before Bureau members eventually found their direction in 1919, they scored a few successes and had their share of failures. One outstanding failure concerns Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s plan to investigate F. Matthias Alexander’s breathing and habit changing procedures.

Keywords: Evelyn Dewey (1889-1965), Harriet M. Johnson (1867-1934), Lucy Sprague Mitchell (1878- 1967), Margaret Naumburg (1890-1983), Caroline Pratt (1867-1954), Ethel Webb (1866-1955), F. Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), John Dewey (1859-1952), Wesley C. Mitchell (1874-1948), Caleb W. Saleeby (1878-1940)