The Politics of Race and Class and the Development of Public Education in Georgia: A Qualitative Study of Retired African American Teachers' Perspectives on Schooling From 1930 to 1970 - Shelton, Melvin Anthony (My University, 2010)
This dissertation is a qualitative study that chronicles the development of public schooling in Georgia and uses interviews to focus on the perspectives and meaning that 11 retired African American public school teachers associated with their experiences as teachers and students between 1930 and 1970. A tape recorder and field notes were used to record the interviews. The participants' stories were transcribed and reconstructed into portraits. Data analysis consisted of organizing data into coded sections using the Ethnograph Version 4, qualitative data analysis computer software. These data were then analyzed using the phenomenological approach as the dominant method of analysis. In interviews participants expressed how they dealt with school issues before and after desegregation. In the portraits they questioned some of the assumptions and conclusions found in traditionally negative historical literature about African American teachers and reported specific success stories to support their claims. The participants offered their perspectives on themes such as: African American teacher pedagogy, teacher training, community and family influence, and the structure and character of segregated and desegregated schools.
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 The Research Project ................................................................................. 1 Problem Statement .......................................................................... 1 Context of the Problem .............................................................................. 1 Purpose of Study ........................................................................................ 4 The Research Questions ............................................................................. 5 Significance of Study ................................................................................. 7 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................. 11 Myths about Black Education .................................................................... 13 II. A HISTORICAL VIEW OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN GEORGIA ........... 16 A Historical Perspective ............................................................................. 16 The Development of Public Education in Georgia .................................... 17 The Turn of the Twentieth Century ................................................ 19 The Capon Springs Conferences ..................................................... 19 The Hampton-Tuskegee Curriculum ................................... 20 Disparities in Black Education ............................................ 25 Pre World War II Education in Georgia ......................................... 35 Post World War II Education in Georgia ........................................ 38 Defiance and the Southern Way of Life .............................. 39 Private Organizations Enter the School Problem ................ 41 The Courts and the Private School Plan .............................. 43 The Sinister Seven and the Public School Declaration .............................. 59 Education Problems Continue through the 1950s ...................................... 61 Ministers' Manifesto ....................................................................... 71 Crisis in the Schools ........................................................................ 73 School Debate Shifts As Integrationists Become Open School Advocates ............................................................................ 75 HOPE Founded to Save Public Schools ......................................... 75 Governor Vandiver's Six School Desegregation Laws .................. 76 HOPE Persisted in the fight for Public Schools in Georgia ........... 80 Court Approved Plan for Integrating Georgia's Schools ........................... 83 The Sibley Commission (The General Assembly Committee on Schools) ..................................................................................... 84 The Sibley Commission Hearings ....................................... 87 The Sibley Commission Report ........................................... 88 The Court Sets School Desegregation Date in Georgia .................. 91 School Crisis Shifts to the University of Georgia ................ 92 The Open School Package ......................................................................... 94 Desegregated Public Schools Start in Atlanta Georgia .............................. 97 Desegregation of Lowndes County Schools .............................................. 99 Attitude Toward Segregation Changes in the Governor's Office .............. 107 Philanthropists Aid Public Education in Georgia ...................................... 108 The Anna T. Jeanes Contribution ................................................... 112 The Rural School Fund ........................................................ 113 The Jeanes Supervisor ......................................................... 116 The Julius Rosenwald Contribution ................................................ 120 The Julius Rosenwald Fund ................................................. 121 The Conflict of Political and Educational Goals ....................................... 126 Between-Schools Segregation ........................................................ 126 Within-School Segregation ............................................................. 128 Conclusion to Historical View of Public Education in Georgia ................ 130 III. PORTRAITS .................................................................................................. 134 Ellen Parker ................................................................................................ 138 Clara M. Hall .............................................................................................. 169 Mary Shy Scott ........................................................................................... 191 Mattie H. Smith .......................................................................................... 216 George Rogers ............................................................................................ 240 Ruth L. Lumpkin ........................................................................................ 252 Sallie Mae Tarrence ................................................................................... 274 Ralph Ford .................................................................................................. 289 Isaiah Isom ................................................................................................. 302 Delores Jones Haines ................................................................................. 324 Annie Marrone Fisher ................................................................................ 337 IV. SUMMARY OF EMERGENT THEMES ACROSS THE PORTRAITS ..... 382 Minority Achievement and the Effect of the Desegregated SchooL ......... 383 The Battle for School Desegregation .............................................. 390 The Role of the African American Teacher. ................................... 392 Viewing the African American Pedagogy ........................... 393 Major Issues Facing Black Educators ............................................. 395 Significant Positions Offered ............................................... 397 Emergent Themes ............................................................. , ........................ 401 1. Teacher-Student Relationships .................................................. 402 2. Community Relationships .......................................................... 404 3. Racial and Economic Adversity ................................................. 411 4. Philosophy of Teaching ............................................................. 419 5. Teacher Training ........................................................................ 422 6. Historical Myths ......................................................................... 430 7. Family Support ........................................................................... 436 8. Segregation ................................................................................ 439 Addressing the Research Questions ........................................................... 450 Addressing the Sub Questions ................................................................... 457 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 461 V. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 463 What This Study Affords Readers ............................................................. 463 Philanthropy ............................................................................................... 465 Final Reflections ........................................................................................ 466 Implications for Practice ............................................................................ 469 Recommendations for Further Research .................................................... 471 One Final Thought ..................................................................................... 473 REFERENCE LIST ............................. : ................................................................ 474 Appendix A: Research Methodology ......................................................... 496 Research Methodology ................................................................... 497 Research Design .............................................................................. 498 Emergent Structure ......................................................................... 502 Grounded Theory ............................................................................ 503 Negotiating A Research Relationship ............................................. 505 Data Collection ............................................................................... 507 Methodology for Data Analysis ...................................................... 509 Data Reduction .................................................................... 511 Data Display ......................................................................... 512 Conclusion Drawing and Verification ............................................ 512 Linking Variant Analytic Approaches ................................. 513 Validity ................................................................................ 516 Triangulation ........................................................................ 517 Member Checking ................................................................ 518 The Pilot Study ................................................................................ 519 Researcher Qualifications ............................................................... 523 Limitations of this Study ................................................... '" ........... 526 Appendix B: Sample Interview Questions ................................................. 528 Appendix C: Sample Ethnograph IV Data File ......................................... 534 Appendix D: Participant Informed Consent Forms ................................... 543 Appendix E: IRB ApprovaL ..................................................................... 545
Keywords: Race; Class; Public Education; African American Teachers; Georgia; Segregation