Preserving the legacy of Malcolm Price Laboratory School and engaging dynamically with those who remember and appreciate its heritage.
Malcolm Price Laboratory School began in 1883 as the Model School for what was then the Iowa State Normal School. J.C. Gilchrist served as the first school principal. The Laboratory School went through many transitions over the course of 129 years. Starting as the Model School, it soon became the Training School in 1893 and the new name continued until 1944 when it became the Campus School. Five years later in 1949, it became the Campus Laboratory School. In 1959, it was named the Malcolm Price Laboratory School in honor of President Malcolm Price for his role in supporting the new building at 19th and Campus and an increased number of faculty.
In 2012, the Laboratory School at the University of Northern Iowa was closed. One time student, faculty member, Price Lab Parent, and administrator of the school, Lynn Nielsen immediately envisioned a project to collect and preserve the history of the Malcolm Price Laboratory School. The purpose of this website is to document and celebrate the heritage of the Laboratory School at the University of Northern Iowa and to highlight the innumerable contributions the school made to teacher education and professional development over the course of its 129-year history.
Learn more about Our Mission.
BY THE NUMBERS
129
Number of consecutive years that Malcom Price Laboratory School was in session.
1,000,000+
Problem Solving Nifties, written by MPLS math faculty and field tested at MPLS, reached over a million elementary students in all 50 states between 1983 and 1998.
1 of 25
In 2008 MPLS is 1 of 25 Finalists for the National School of Character Award
50
The Beginning Reading Conference hosted teachers on the UNI campus for 50 years from 1969-2019.
1of 5
1 of the first 5 schools in the nation chosen as a First Amendment School.
13
Lab School teachers receive the Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching between 1990 and 2012.
6
Six MPLS teachers received the prestigious Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching.
1st
First school in the nation to be awarded the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Whole Child Award. (2010)
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