 Ella Flagg Young (1845–1918) was a lifelong educator and then administrator in the school system in Chicago, and later was a professor of education at the University of Chicago. She was elected the first woman president of the National Education Association and worked for women’s suffrage. According to Seigfried, Dewey was specific about how Young’s “original interpretations and applications of his theories went beyond his own understanding” (Seigfried 1996: 80).  According to Joan K. Smith (1977), Young began taking classes from John Dewey at the University of Chicago in the fall of 1895; at that point she had over 30 years of experience in teaching and administration. She published three books on education.