Baker Demonstration School - History

History

The roots of Baker Demonstration School reach back to the founding of National College in 1886. College founder Elizabeth Harrison was deeply interested in the individual child and in understanding children's behaviors. Her enthusiasm and commitment to early childhood education sparked a fire of equal dedication in one of her students, Edna Dean Baker. Edna Dean's sister, Clara Belle Baker, founded the Children's School and became its first director.

The school first opened at 2944 Michigan Avenue, on what was then the "Gold Coast"; in 1918 and moved to the North Shore on the Evanston campus in 1926. By 1929, the Children's School was a complete elementary school with classrooms of nursery through eighth grade. Our school took on the challenge of "charting new ways for better educating the individual as a member of a changing and developing society, and to prepare children for living together in a democracy.";

Clara Belle Baker's vision carefully linked the study of children and the preparation of teachers. A progressive pioneer, she believed that children enjoyed being challenged by unanswered questions and problems. The school soon came to be highly regarded for its style of "learning by doing.";

When Clara Belle Baker retired in 1952, the school was renamed Baker Demonstration School because of the demonstration of best practices in classroom methods.

Notable people who have attended Baker (but not necessarily graduated) include: actor, Charlton Heston; former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld; Eric Pierce; Playboy CEO, Christie Hefner; Louis Nelson.

In 2005, Baker became an independent school, though still affiliated with National-Louis University and also now involved with Northwestern University. Baker is a provisional member of the Independent School Association of Central States. Baker is governed by a self-perpetuating 18 person board of directors.