The history of Kyle, Texas, public schools, 1911-1967

This dissertation traces the history of the Kyle, Texas, Independent School District from a system that served students of the community in separate schools for Anglo, Mexican American, and African American students into a single organization that served all students. Geographically located directly on the Balcones Fault, the Kyle community encompasses both the Coastal Plain farmland to the east and the rocky Hill Country terrain to the west and the economic distinctions that go with each. Located between the state’s flagship university (The University of Texas at Austin) and the state’s leading source of certified teachers (Texas State University—San Marcos), the Kyle schools provide a prototype for studying the history of public education in Texas during the first half of the twentieth century. As a social history, this study addresses the everyday activities of the schools (as described in their daily schedules and extracurricular activities), as well as the institutional organization reflected in official documents. By considering the unequal distribution of power and resources, the study provides a glimpse of the hierarchical relationships within the Kyle community that produced the hegemonic school structure that dominated the era being studied. The study examines the changes in vii school culture that reflect other events in society (e.g., the Depression, World War II, federal involvement in education), the development of the curriculum (particularly as evidenced by high school courses offered), as well as the circumstances that led to the integration of the schools, first for Mexican American students and later for African American students. The history describes the gradual consolidation of smaller schools into the Kyle system and the eventual consolidation of Kyle with other Hays County districts. Biographical vignettes conclude each chapter of the chronology.