School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents
First-grader Richard Nixon sits at the end of the first row. (Nixon Library)
Our modern Presidents received educations and participated in school activities in ways as diverse as their backgrounds and their political philosophies.
Some of the Presidents attended neighborhood public schools, and some of them learned in rural classrooms; others studied under tutors and attended prestigious private schools. Many of the Presidents participated in extracurricular activities and organized sports while they attended school.
The challenges of studying various subjects, completing homework, forming new ideas, participating in extracurricular activities, and making friends are part of the common heritage of an American education shared by everyone—including our Presidents. This is the premise of a new exhibit opening at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., called "School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents." It charts the educational experiences of our Presidents from Herbert Hoover to William J. Clinton and includes several items from President George W. Bush's childhood.
Bill Clinton (far left) at Miss Mary's Kindergarten in Hope, Arkansas. (Clinton Library)
Through the records of the presidential libraries—archival material, museum objects, and photographs as well as audio and visual material—"School House to White House" gives the public a new perspective on the presidency. It allows visitors to make connections and comparisons between their own education and the variety of educational experiences of our leaders.
Developed jointly by the museum and archival staffs of the presidential libraries and the museum staff of the National Archives Experience in Washington, D.C., the exhibit explores these future Presidents' activities in grade school, high school, college, and after graduation. Other
