Clara Belle Baker

Clara Belle Baker (February 6, 1885 – May 5, 1961) was an American educator who was an early advocate of having children learn by doing.^[1]

Clara Belle Baker, 1909

Baker was the co-founder and director of Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette, Illinois.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Baker attended Northwestern University, graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees.^[4]

Career

With her sister Edna Dean Baker, Baker co-founded Baker Demonstration School and served as its director for many years.

Baker promoted the modernization of children's reading education;^[5][6][7] she was the author of many readers and other curricular materials for elementary students.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

In 1921, Baker published Songs for the little child, a mixture of her own compositions and various folk songs, with music by Caroline Kohlsaat.^[13][14] The book was released through twelve editions and as of 2019 is still held by more than 100 libraries.^[15][8] She later collaborated with William H. Burton to produce the document Reading in Child Development.^[16]