Promoting the progress of education : the history of Georgetown public schools, 1850-1966

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Date

2007-05

Authors

Farney, Marsha Lane, 1958-

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Abstract

The history of the Georgetown schools from 1850 to 1966 reveals not only the development of the school system itself, its teachers, students, curriculum, and practices, but also provides insights into the effects of larger movements and events in American history upon the development of this particular local school system. The origins and the subsequent development of the public school system in Georgetown, a small central Texas community located approximately thirty-five miles north of the state capitol, Austin, is the focus of this dissertation. The history of the Georgetown public school system, presented in chronological order, is examined from its inconspicuous origin in 1850 when Texas was a young state through 1966 when the district integrated black students into the white campuses. This study encompasses seven major historic periods such as when Texas was struggling to develop its public school system despite protests from some citizens resisting the intrusion of the state into the matter of educating children, often preferring private schools to the erratic public schools. Another major historic period in this study was World War I when Georgetown school personnel and students robustly rallied to the call for patriotic duty with the addition of war-related curriculum and participation in programs to raise funds to support the war effort. Two public school minority campuses, a school for Mexican Americans and one for African Americans, operated in Georgetown during much of this period. A detailed history is presented about each campus including information about topics such as the condition of the school buildings, student activities, and teacher training opportunities. The structure of the school system evolved from having all grades encompassed in one school building to a district with separate elementary, intermediate, junior high and high school campuses. With the reconfiguration of school buildings came the implementation of new programs such as vocational education departments, University Interscholastic League competitions, and the fine arts.

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