PDF Tennessee Department of Education Records, 1874-1984 Record ...

[Pages:171]TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECORDS 1874-1987

RECORD GROUP 273

Processed by: Gregory G. Poole Archival Technical Services

Tennessee State Library & Archives Date Completed: October 28, 1999 Updated: December 2019 by Sara Baxter

MICROFILM ONLY BOXES 175 AND 176 CONTAIN ORIGINAL RECORDS

NOT MICROFILMED

INTRODUCTION

The records in Record Group 273, Tennessee Department of Education, span the period 1874-1987, although the bulk of the collection is concentrated in the 1930s through the 1950s. The record group consists of applications, correspondence, various kinds of reports, and subject files reflecting the many activities of the Department of Education.

The records came to the Tennessee State Library and Archives through two sources. The earliest records were transferred directly from the offices of the Department of Education, while later additions were transferred from the State Records Center. The final disposition of the collection was determined by the Records Disposition Authorization (RDA) process. In accordance with the RDA, all the material in Record Group 273 has been microfilmed and the originals were disposed of by state approved methods.

Record Group 273 measured approximately 176 cubic feet. Records removed and destroyed during processing were duplicate copies and routine office correspondence was sampled. Photographs were removed after microfilming and the originals preserved in RG 273A. One box of Commissioner McElrath's files was added in December 2019 as Box 176. It, along with Box 175, contain original records but do not appear on microfilm.

Record Group 273 should be used in conjunction with other record groups relating to the Department of Education. Researchers should consult Record Group 26, Schoolhouse Planning in Tennessee; Record Group 91, State Board of Education; Record Group 92, Commissioner of Education Records; Record Group 245, State Board of Education Minutes; Record Group 246, Department of Education Certification Commission; and Record Group 254, Department of Education Program of Teacher Preparation.

The Tennessee Department of Education: Beginnings, 1835-1873

When Tennessee adopted its second constitution in 1835, the "common school system" was without any centralized authority at either the state or local level. Up until that time, the common schools were without adequate funds, devoid of any responsible administration, "stigmatized by the taint of pauperism," and allegedly served by bureaucrats whose services were not deemed worthy of compensation. The idea of mass education at public expense was entertained by only a handful of citizens whose exertions in the legislature had proved futile.

The question of public education was brought to the floor repeatedly during the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention that convened in 1834. The 1835 Constitution decreed that "the common school fund shall never be diminished by legislative appropriation." The constitutional recognition of education was further reinforced a year later by legislative action on February 19, 1836, when it was enacted that "the Treasurer of the State, the Comptroller of the Treasury, and an executive officer, to be called the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall be and they are hereby created and constituted."

Complaints and criticisms that the school system was not working forced a General Assembly investigation within three years of the inception of the undertaking. The management of the school fund came in for sharp criticism in a nearly 100-page report in the legislative journals of 1839-1840. Varying rates of discount, interest and fluctuating values of "paper money" in different parts of the state presented difficulties in attempting to invest in and protect the school fund. As a result, the Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction was abolished on January 12, 1844. The duties of the Superintendent were transferred to the State Treasurer where they remained until after the Civil War.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was restored by law on March 5, 1867 and in August, John E. Eaton elected to fill the position. The salary was $1,200 per year, and when Eaton reported for duty at the State Capitol, the superintendent of the building "furnished chairs, and a table and a room." The Comptroller refused to pay for the postage needed for the operation of the office.

Eaton, a former Union officer, soon fell victim to violent political opposition. Accusing the Superintendent of fraud and misuse of funds, the General Assembly again abolished the office in 1870. Through the financial assistance in part by the Peabody Education Funds, a Northern philanthropic agency, J. B. Killebrew became Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction on January 22, 1872. He made a one-man survey of educational conditions in the state, welded his facts into a report to the legislature, and by "taking the stump," persuaded the people to rally to a renewal of educational legislation that is today referred to as the "Parent Act of Education" in Tennessee. The Office of Superintendent of Public Education as revived by the law of 1873 remained intact until 1923, when the title was changed to Commissioner of Education.

A Chronology of Recent Department History

1875

The University of Nashville became Peabody College

1879

The University of East Tennessee became the University of Tennessee

1881

Creation of the Colored Department of the Tennessee School for the Blind

1887

First meeting of the Public School Officers Association

1891

Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation providing for secondary schools in Tennessee

1899

Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation permitting the counties to levy a "high school" tax

1899

Uniform Textbook Law was passed. Publishers were required to ship their books to depositories operated by private companies. These depositories were required to sell the books to one or more local merchants, and the merchants were to sell the books to the student

1902

Public education became a major political issue for the first time

1902

General Education Board was founded

1907-1909 Public education rallies were held throughout the state

1909

Public School Law of 1909 provided revenue to support public education in Tennessee

1909

Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation providing for the establishment of normal schools for the purpose of training elementary teachers.

1909 1912 1913 1913 1913

1913

1913 1914 1915 1917

1921

1921

School library program became a part of the state's educational plan

Percentage of teachers in Tennessee with professional training was 7 percent white and 6 percent African American

Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College founded

Julius Rosenwald Fund was created to aid African American education in the South. By 1917, the fund was spending 18 million dollars a year

Tennessee General Assembly authorized County Board of Education to consolidate old schools into larger schools, provide public transportation, and to elect school supervisors of special and general schoolwork

First provision for school libraries was adopted. A Director of Public Libraries position was created, and a revised list of books suitable for public schools was published

58th General Assembly passed the first compulsory school attendance law

Tennessee General Assembly established a proper uniform standard for the certification and qualification of teachers

Average yearly salary for teachers in Tennessee was $247

United States Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act to assist schoosl that taught vocational agriculture, trades and home economics. In that year Tennessee received $34,000

Tennessee General Assembly passed a County Board of Education Law that provided for the creation of a County Board of Education consisting of 7 members

One-third of the counties in Tennessee did not have a senior high school

1925

1927 1929 1930 1933 1934 1937 1938 1941

School Law Act of 1925 set the following specifications regarding the subjects to be taught in the public schools: "The course of study shall embrace the following subjects: spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, history of Tennessee, history of the United States, hygiene and sanitation, physical education, vocal music and drawing. Instruction in hygiene and sanitation shall include the nature of alcoholic drinks, narcotics and smoking of cigarettes and their effects upon the human."

State funds were appropriated to build schools in the counties, as the counties were given complete authority over the funds, little money was used for that purpose

The Great Depression in Tennessee forced the State to reduce expenditures for all school purposes. School construction practically ceased. Teachers were compelled to accept largely reduced salaries, and in a majority of cases, the small salaries promised were not paid promptly

Tennessee had 375 four-year high schools

Governor Hill McAlister created the Tennessee Educational Commission to investigate and advise State government concerning the needs of public education. The final recommendations were reported to the Tennessee General Assembly

Commissioner of Education reported that the housing, facilities, and teaching equipment for African American children was far below that for white children. He noted that many of the school buildings were unsafe, and the equipment in many instances was entirely non-existent

Program for the standardization of rural elementary schools was adopted by the State Board of Education

State Board of Education approved a curriculum for the training of elementary teachers in Tennessee, including all teaching areas prescribed by the state elementary course of study

Public Act, Chapter 43, provided educational opportunity for African Americans equal that provided for whites at the University of Tennessee. Higher education in Tennessee would remain segregated

1943

1944

1947 1947 1964 1984

School Lunch Program began with the establishment of cafeterias in secondary schools and with the provision in rural schools of a hot dish as a supplement to the food brought from home. In June 1946, the National School Lunch Act made the school lunch program a permanent program

Service Man's Re-adjustment Act provided training for veterans of World War II. In 1945 the program became a reality for farm boys, and it was known as "Institutional On-Farm Training." By February 1946, classes were underway in Tennessee

Services for Exceptional Children Act was authorized by the General Assembly

Thirty-six (36) Tennessee counties were served by the Jeanes Agency and other philanthropic agencies

United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Tennessee began the process of the integration of public schools

Master Teacher Plan passed by the Tennessee General Assembly

Superintendents and Commissioners of the Department of Education, 1870-1981

Superintendents of Public Instruction

J. B. Killebrew1870-1873 John M. Fleming1873-1875 Leon Trousdale1875-1881 W. S. Doak1881-1882 G. S. W. Crawford1882-1883 Thomas H. Paine1883-1887 Frank M. Smith1887-1891 S. G. Gilbreath1895-1897 Price Thomas 1897-1899 Morgan C. Fitzpatrick1899-1903 Seymour A. Mynders1903-1907 R. L. Jones 1907-1911 J. W. Brister 1911-1913 S. H. Thomas 1913-1915 S. W. Sherrill 1915-1919 Albert Williams1919-1921 J.B. Brown 1921-1923

Commissioners of Education

P. L. Harned 1923-1933 Walter D. Cocking1933-1937 W. A. Bass 1937-1938 J. M. Smith 1938 Halbert Harvill1938-1939 B. O. Duggan 1939-1945 Burgin E. Dossett1945-1949 J.M. Smith1949-1950 J.A. Barksdale 1950-1953 Quill E. Cope1953-1958 Joe Morgan 1958-1963 J. H. Warf 1963-1971 E. C. Stimbert 1971-1972 Benjamin E. Carmichael 1972-1975 Sam H. Ingram 1975-1979 Otis Floyd 1979 E. A. Cox 1979-1980 Robert McElrath 1981-1987

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