Art education as work or play? Vocational education and the extracurricular in Chicago at Lane Tech High School, 1908–17.

This article examines the transformation of art education and student life in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) between 1908 and 1917, focusing on how vocational training and social efficiency principles shaped high school curricula, architecture, and extracurricular activities. It highlights how CPS administrators, influenced by meritocratic and scientific management ideologies, tracked working-class students primarily into manual training and vocational programs, while more privileged students accessed fine arts education associated with social refinement. The design of school buildings, such as Lane Technical High School, reflected industrial efficiency and reinforced social sorting, while students responded to restrictive policies by creating underground social and recreational activities that evolved into official extracurricular programs. The article situates these developments within broader cultural and political contexts, including class and racial dynamics, and traces their lasting impact on American high school education and youth culture.