William Harding Johnson (September 20, 1895 – May 1, 1981) was an American educator who served as superintendent of Chicago Public Schools. His decade-long tenure as superintendent was controversial, and ended with him being pressured to resign after the National Education Association released a report which detailed corrupt and unethical actions by Johnson and the Chicago Board of Education, which resulted in the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools threatening to revoke its accreditation of Chicago Public Schools' high schools. Despite his controversy, he had a number of successes, such as being credited with decreased school truancy. He also introduced innovations to the school system, such as introducing an innovative remote education approach that utilized radio broadcasts amid school closures during a 1937 polio outbreak.
Early life, education, and early career Johnson was born September 20, 1895, in Chicago, Illinois.White, p. 9 Johnson was born on September 20 Johnson was the son of Danish immigrants to the United States. Both of his parents originally hailed from Schleswig-Holstein.White, pp. 1 and 2 His father became a naturalized citizen, while his mother did not.White, p. 10 Johnson was the youngest of his parents' children. He had an older sister named Cecilia (who was born in 1884), and two other siblings who died in early childhood.White, pp. 8 and 9 His family was protestant. Johnson's father worked several jobs during his time living in Chicago, including cab driver and grocer.
In 1901, at the age of six, Johnson began attending Langland Elementary School, where he would receive his entire elementary school education.White, p. 12 Having graduated elementary school in June 1909, Johnson began attending high school at Tuley High School that September.White, p. 13 In June 1913, Johnson graduated from Tuley High School.White, p. 16
Before starting college, Johnson had worked odd jobs, including working a janitor at a high school, in order to collect enough money to pay his tuition. Johnson attended Beloit College from 1913 through 1915, during which time he also worked as a chemistry laboratory assistant at the college. He was studying to be a chemistry and mathematics major, and focused heavily on his academics, having very little social involvement. He then transferred to Northwestern University. Similarly to his time at Beloit, Johnson focused heavily on his academics at Northwestern, and had very little social involvement.White, p. 17 He graduated in June 1917 with a Bachelor of Science degree.White, p. 18 In February 1917, he was admitted to Northwestern's graduate school, and he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in education on June 12, 1918. His master's thesis was titled Report of the Physical Condition of the Schools in Evanston, District 75 of the City of Evanston.White, p. 19 While working to obtain his master's degree. For his first year of graduate school, Johnson worked as a teacher at Palatine High School as a chemistry and physics teacher, as well as the coach of the girls baseball and basketball teams.White, p. 20, 21 and 24 During his final months of grad school, he worked at Kankakee High School as a chemistry teacher.White, p. 25 He would later go back to school and receive his Ph.D from the University of Chicago in 1921.White, p. 37
After graduating from graduate school, Johnson was eligible to be drafted into either the United States Army or United States Navy. He enlisted right after his graduation, and served as a research chemist in the Chemical Warfare Service's American University Research Division in Washington, D.C. and with the Army Board of Psychology (where he helped to determine the mental status of men). He also did some work with intelligence testing. He served in these roles from June 1918 through December 1918. He was discharged from service on December 10, 1918, after the end of World War I.White, pp. 25, 26, and 37
Johnson held a job as a chemistry instructor at Rockford College during the 1918–1919 school year.White, p. 26
In 1919, Johnson married Lillian Mattocks, who he had met when they both attended Tuley High School. She took his surname, becoming Lillian Mattocks Johnson.White, p. 14, 26, 50, and 118
Soon after departing his job at Rockford College, Johnson began working at Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kansas, which he held for two school years (from 1919 through 1921).White, p. 27
Chicago Public Schools career Early employment In 1921, Johnson was hired by Chicago Public Schools as a math teacher at Lane Technical High School.White, p. 33 He would go onto work as Lane Tech's director of vocational guidance, holding this position until 1924. In this job, he worked with William J. Bogan, who was serving as the school's principal. Their relationship was rather unfriendly, with Bogan seeing Johnson as an opportunist.
In 1922, his wife Lillian also became a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system.White, pp. 37 and 38
Johnson received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago while working at Lane Technical High School. In 1921, Johnson enrolled at the University of Chicago as a doctoral student, and received his Ph.D. in educational administration two years later. His dissertation was titled Mental Growth Curve of Secondary School Students.White, pp. 37 and 38
In 1923, Johnson submitted an application to Chicago Normal College for a job teaching courses on education. He was hired in 1924, and resigned his position at Lane Technical High School. From November 1924 through February 1924, he served as the editor of the Chicago Schools Journal. He would continue submitting articles to this journal until retiring as an educator in 1953.White, pp. 42 and 43 In 1924, he also began teaching educational administration courses at Loyola University Chicago on a part-time basis.White, p. 48 In March 1925, after passing the principal's examination, Johnson left his position at Chicago Normal College.White, p. 39
In 1925, Johnson received a position as the principal of Daniel Webster Grammar School.White, p. 49 In January 1928, Johnson left this position after accepting the position of principal at the still-under-construction Alessandro Volta Grammar School. From January 1928 through January 1931, the school operated in temporary wooden structures. The school moved into its permanent building on January 8, 1931.White, pp. 49 and 52 While Johnson was well-liked by most parents of students, he was not without criticism. In 1931, a research assistant sent by now-Superintendent William J. Bogan's Advisory Council Subcommittee on Education visited the school, and strongly criticized Johnson for practices he had implemented in the school that Johnson had written an article about that was published in an educational journal.White, pp. 52 and During his time as principal, Johnson also continued to teach educational administration classes part-time at Loyola University.White, p. 56 From October 1929 through May 1935, Johnson also worked as the Saturday morning lecturer at the Chicago Historical Society. He also taught educational administration classes for Catholic nuns at Saint Xavier College. In 1927, he authored a book on visual education.White, p. 73 and
In October 1927, Johnson's wife Lillian became the assistant principal of the system's Gale School, a job she held until taking a leave of absence due to illness in February 1936.White, p. 50
During the Great Depression, Johnson was relatively unscathed, since he had not invested significantly in the stock market.
Johnson, in his time as a principal, had cultivated a public perception of himself as being an effective administrator, having been generally liked by parents and respected by teachers. In 1935, Johnson requested to be made a high school principal, but was instead promoted by the Chicago Board of Education to assistant superintendent. This made him the assistant to superintendent of Chicago Public Schools William Bogan. He had been appointed by the Chicago Board of Education in July 1935, over Bogan's wishes. He had been selected both for his educational credentials, and due the fact that he had never spoken out against the board.White, pp. 80 and 81 Upon his departure from his principal position, he was presented with a lifetime membership in the National Educational Association.White, p. 80
Due to Bogan being ill, Johnson took over much of the superintendent's workload.White, p. 81 Johnson also worked to cultivate his popularity with teachers by personally visiting any of the city's high schools.
Johnson floated an idea by teachers during one of his school visits that would see Chicago Public Schools implement a program review where a duo of district superintendents would go to each school and conduct inspections at the schools to see whether standards would be met. Under his proposed plan, the superintendents would not deal with teachers, but would instead only engage with principals. However, this created an uproar among some teachers at the meeting who did not want to have the Chicago Public Schools central office sticking their nose in their business.White, pp. 80–85
Superintendency After the March 1936 death in office of Superintendent Joseph Bogan, Johnson was elected by a vote of the Chicago Board of Education on April 22, 1936, to be Chicago Public Schools' new superintendent.White, p. 92 He had been selected despite opposition from numerous citizen groups. Johnson was the first native Chicagoan to serve as superintendent of Chicago Public Schools. He took office in late April 1936. At the age of forty, he was the youngest person to ever hold the position.White, p. 1 His tenure would ultimately extend ten years, which was longer than the tenures any previous superintendent of Chicago Public Schools.White, p. 197
Johnson proved to be a controversial figure From the early days of his superintendency, Johnson became a target for the Chicago Daily News.White, p. 103 Johnson was regarded as being under the influences of Mayor of Chicago Edward Joseph Kelly and president of the Chicago Board of Education James B. McCahey. McCahey himself was controversial.White, p. 147 Throughout his superintendency, Johnson was seen as hostile towards teachersWhite, p. 119 and faced heavy criticism from teachers, parents, church groups, and civic groups.
Early into his superintendency, Johnson was criticized, particularly by the Chicago Daily News, for budget expenditures.White, p. 107
Early on, Johnson was faced with an ultimatum from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools to increase the size of high school teaching staff, or to face losing the association's accreditation, which would have the consequence of making it so that high school graduates from Chicago Public Schools high schools would be required to take examinations before being admitted to the association's member colleges.
During his superintendency, Johnson would introduce successful new record systems, remedial reading programs, among a few other innovations.