For the Socialist, if not synonymous, education and emancipation are in parallel. Always central to the workers’ movement, educational societies were often the first workers’ organizations to develop and have been a constant of our movement since.

‘Workers’ Schools Grow Fast Over United States’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 4 No. 271. November 28, 1927.

INSPIRED by the success of the Workers School of New York, which has now become the largest institution for working-class education in the entire country, there is a veritable epidemic of Workers’ Schools springing up in industrial centers all over the United States.

For instance, there is the Workers School of Boston, with Harry J. Canter as director and Eva Stone as secretary. It is planning to offer thirteen courses beginning January 1, including a course in the Fundamentals of Communism, with Harry Canter as instructor; a course in Problems of Organization, with Alex Bail as instructor; a course in Trade Union History and Tactics, taught by S. Weisman; Science for Workers, Professor Whiting; Modem Literature, Professor Dana; Marxian Economics, Max Lerner; American History, Lewis Marks; Labor Journalism, Harry Canter; Problems of the Woman Worker, Dr. A. Konikow; a course in Russian with Dr. Cheskiss as instructor, and two courses in elementary and advanced English, with Allen Binch and Mrs. Clifford and one or more courses dealing with Youth Problems.

Philadelphia.

IN Philadelphia, the Workers School, under the direction of Thomas Foley, with M. Epstein acting as secretary, is offering courses in Fundamentals of Communism, Trade Union Problems, History of the International Labor Movement; ants Marxism and Leninism, as well as courses in English and Workers Correspondence. Some of the instructors announced are Ray Ragozin and Will Herberg, whose services are being supplied by the New York Workers School, and Herbert Benjamin.

Detroit.

IN Detroit, the Workers School has issued a catalogue announcing a course in the ABC of the Class Struggle, instructor A. Gerlach; Elements of Political Education, John Schmeis; Trade Union Problems, Wm. Reynolds; Party Organization, Albert Weisbord; Elementary and Advanced English, instructors to be announced; American Labor History, Mm. Mollenhauer; Workers Correspondence and Shop Newspapers, Vera Buch. The director of the School is A. Gerlach. A branch of the Detroit Workers School is being opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where a course in Fundamentals of the Class Struggle and courses in English will be offered.

Chicago.

IN Chicago, the Workers School ia offering a course in Fundamentals of Leninism, Elementary Economics, History of the American Labor Movement, Party Organization and Tactics, History of the International Labor Movement, Public Speaking, Historical Materialism, Fundamentals of Communism, and three classes in English. They are also planning a branch school on the South Side to give educational facilities for the colored population in that section of Chicago. The Chicago school is planning to move into new headquarters, where it can develop more favorably.

Cleveland.

IN the City of Cleveland, a similar school has been established, offering courses in Fundamentals of the Class Struggle, instructor Tom Johnson; Trade Union Movement, J. Brahtin, and English courses. Teachers are also to be sent from Cleveland to nearby towns and additional courses are promised.

Minneapolis.

IN Minneapolis, there is a small school offering a course in Fundamentals of the Class Struggle. In Kansas City a school with classes in Elementary and Advanced Economics and in English. In New Haven, Conn., a school with courses in Fundamentals of Communism, Public Speaking and English, and a branch in Stamford offering a course in Fundamentals of Communism.

The West Coast.

ON the Pacific Coast, in the city oj Seattle, several courses are being offered similar to those in other small schools. In San Francisco, Dick Ettlinger is the director of a small school which offers two or three courses every year. Various other cities are developing similar activities.

Directed From Big Central School.

ALL of these schools are guided from the parent school, the Workers School of New York. All of them are parts of a chain of working-class schools. The Workers School of New York supplies teachers and forum lecturers to nearby branches, in New Jersey and Connecticut towns and in Philadelphia. It also sends forum lecturers as far south as Baltimore and as far north as Boston. To the schools the director of the New York Workers School sends outlines for courses and advice based upon the experiences of the New York Workers School. Workers in any part of the country trying to establish study courses along the lines of any of the 50-odd courses offered by the Workers School of New York can get information on course outlines, etc., by writing to Bertram W. Wolfe, 108 E. 14th Street, New York City. Inquiries of this nature come from such distant points as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles on the West Coast and Jacksonville, Florida and Breckenridge, Texas in the South, from New England cities and from Mexico and the Philippine Islands.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1927/1927-ny/v04-n271-NY-nov-26-1927-DW-LOC.pdf