Franklin Benjamin Dyer (January 27, 1858 – May 10, 1938) was an American educator who served as superintendent of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

Early life

Dyer was born on January 27, 1858, in

Warren County, Ohio Warren County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 242,337. Its county seat is Lebanon, Ohio, Lebanon. The county is ...

, to John M. and Margaret (Martin) Dyer. He was educated in public schools and graduated from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

in 1879. In 1888 he married May Archibald. They had three children and resided in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

neighborhood until their move to Boston. Dyer was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

Career

After one year teaching at a rural school in Warren County, Dyer spent twenty years as a superintendent of schools in

Loveland, Ohio Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cinc ...

. After a stint in

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census. Geography Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

, he spent fourteen years as superintendent in

Madisonville, Ohio Madisonville is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The population was 9,141 at the 2010 census. History Madisonville was established in 1809 and originally named Madison after the newly elected James Madison, the fourth president of the United S ...

. In 1901 he became as assistant superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools. From 1902 to 1903 he served as the first ever dean of the Ohio State Normal School at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

. In 1903, Dyer was appointed superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools. He established a merit system for hiring teachers while maintaining the cooperation of the older teachers hired through political patronage. With the cooperation of various employers he created the country's first

continuation school A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school. In some countries it is primarily for students who are considered at risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same, but the s ...

program, which allowed students who left school to work in a trade to attend school a few days a week. He also created "The Cincinnati Idea", which coordinated parents with the

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

and the Kindergarten with the lower grades. He established the city's Kindergarten,

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

, and domestic training programs as well as its first system of

guidance counseling A school counselor is a professional who works in primary (elementary and middle) schools or secondary schools to provide academic, career, college access/affordability/admission, and social-emotional competencies to all students through a school ...

. He worked with the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

to establish a teacher's college there. In 1912, Dyer was appointed superintendent of

. During his tenure he dealt with a student strike, heatwave, polio epidemic, and a staffing shortage caused by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He retired in 1918 and returned to Cincinnati, where he spent twelve years as a member of the city's board of education. He died on May 10, 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyer, Franklin B. 1858 births 1938 deaths 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators Boston Public Schools superintendents Cincinnati Public Schools superintendents Educators from Ohio Methodists from Ohio Ohio Republicans Ohio Wesleyan University alumni People from Warren County, Ohio People from Cincinnati