Henry Chauncey: An American Life

by Norbert Elliot

A leader in twentieth-century education, Henry Chauncey (1905–2002) introduced large-scale assessment into the lives of individual Americans. This first full-length educational biography examines Chauncey’s education at Groton School, Ohio State University, and Harvard College, his position as a teacher at William Penn Charter School, and his role as founding president of the Educational Testing Service. Documenting a career extending from the Great Depression through the end of the Cold War, this book provides an interpretative history of educational measurement through the careers of Chauncey and his contemporaries. As researcher, administrator, and writer, Chauncey dealt with topics central to the history of schools and the role of accountability in education; the value of individual difference; the identification of talent; the necessity of international perspectives; the resonance between technology and learning; and the impulse for social justice. This biography provides insight into the multidisciplinary factors that shaped the social enterprise of American education.

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Michael Goodine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how much interest there is in a biography of Henry Chauncey nowadays (nor how much there was in 2014 when this one was published). But if you need one... here you go.

The first 90 pages provide an overview of the lives of Chauncey's ancestors. We then get a detailed study of his childhood and life as a young man. His founding of the Educational Testing Service comes at about the halfway point. A final chapter covers the final 32 years of his long life, when he was no longer with that organization.

This is a very well-researched account of Chauncey's life with copious footnotes and detailed bibliographies. Any remaining ETSologists out there will enjoy this book, along with Nicholas Lemann's "The Big Test" and David Owen's "None of the Above."