Casis Elementary School (1946)

The story of how Casis Elementary School in Austin, Tex., came to be was told across two Educational Leadership articles about six years apart. In November 1946, the one-page story "Experimentation in Elementary Education" announced an agreement between the University of Texas and the Austin Independent School District to open a "cooperative research and demonstration project in elementary education. "Although the article makes the mutual benefits of the partnership clear—for instance, the university would have a venue to conduct research, and the school would benefit from the findings—the particulars about the school itself were left largely unaddressed.

In a follow-up piece that appeared in April 1952, "Special Education in Casis School," author M.G. Bowden details the evolution of the program, which began in 1946 in an old elementary school building, but moved to new facilities in 1951. The new building was "designed with special provision for the education of exceptional children" with what was then state-of-the-art design and technology; a photo depicts two students with hearing disabilities receiving instruction in the "hearing room," and hydrotherapy is offered, for instance.

Read the articles: Experimentation in Elementary Education (PDF)
                           Special Education in Casis School (PDF)

Bowden explains that the school was the first of its kind in the area, and it was expected that those looking to build new schools would visit for inspiration. Through this article, Casis remains an inspiration all these years later, both for its emphasis on inclusion and its fruitful university partnership.