The founder of the small schools movement in the U.S., Deborah Meier, delivered the keynote address for the IU School of Education's 100th anniversary dinner on November 16, 2008. On November 17, the Lilly Library announced Meier was donating her papers to its collection.

To view Meier's entire speech, click here.

Meier is a leading voice in education reform. Her ideas have influenced schools heavily across the country, including Bloomington's Harmony Education Center, where she is a senior advisor for new initiatives. Meier started a New York City alternative elementary school in 1974, later founding two others and a secondary school based on the progressive school model. Meier's books include The Power of their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem, and Will Standards Save Public Education? Her success in innovative school reform earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the "genius grant," in 1987.

More information about her paper donation is available here.