Progressive education is an educational philosophy prevailing in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, which had a considerable impact on American school education at that time. Originated from formalism against traditional education. Representative figures are Pucker and Dewey. The main theories and methods include Parker's Quincy teaching method in the early stage, Johnson's organic education school, Walter's Gray system, parkhurst's Dalton system with child-centered orientation in the later stage, China's Winnat Card Plan and social center education theory and experiment. The main viewpoints are children-centered view of students, life-centered view of curriculum, problem-solving view of teaching, teacher view of diluting authority consciousness and school view of emphasizing cooperation spirit. The progressive education movement and its thoughts are the response of American educational circles to the challenges brought by a series of major changes in the process of American social modernization, and it is a kind of extensive effort and reform choice to reform American education under the condition of modern urban industrial civilization.