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The Rural School Project of the Rosenwald Fund, 1934-1946 Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies 5-15-2015 The Rural School Project of the Rosenwald Fund, 1934-1946 Rebecca Ryckeley Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss Recommended Citation Ryckeley, Rebecca, "The Rural School Project of the Rosenwald Fund, 1934-1946." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/133 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, THE RURAL SCHOOL PROJECT OF THE ROSENWALD FUND, 1934- 1946, by REBECCA HOLLIS RYCKELEY, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. The Dean of the College of Education concurs. _________________________________ Deron Boyles, Ph.D. Committee Chair _________________________________ _________________________________ Chara Bohan, Ph.D. Daphne Greenberg, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member _________________________________ Philo Hutcheson, Ph.D. Committee Member _________________________________ Date _________________________________ William Curlette, Ph.D. Chairperson, Department of Education _________________________________ Paul A. Alberto, Ph.D. Dean College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. ________________________________________ REBECCA HOLLIS RYCKELEY NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Rebecca Hollis Ryckeley 50 Autumn Creek Drive Senoia, GA 30276 The director of this dissertation is: Deron Boyles, Ph.D. Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 Rebecca Hollis Ryckeley ADDRESS: 50 Autumn Creek Drive Senoia, GA 30276 EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2015 Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies M.A.T. 1990 University of Virginia History B.A. 1987 University of Virginia International Relations PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2011-Present Coordinator of Social Studies, Gifted and Advanced Placement Fayette County Schools, Fayetteville, Georgia 2005-2011 Coordinator of Social Studies, Gifted, and Advanced Placement Henry County Schools, McDonough, Georgia 1997-2005 History Teacher, Social Studies Department Chair Starr’s Mill High School, Fayetteville, Georgia 1994-1997 Seventh and Eighth Grade Teacher Flat Rock Middle School, Tyrone, Georgia 1991-1994 Fifth Grade Teacher North Fayette Elementary School, Fayetteville, Georgia PRESENTATIONS: 2014 “The problem with southern rural education in the 1930s” Southern History of Education Society 2013 “The Red Oak School: A Rosenwald Fund Special Project” Southern History of Education Society 2013 “Biographies in Economics Education” Georgia Council of Social Studies 2012 “Economic Decision Making of Mary McLeod Bethune and Thurgood Marshall” Georgia Council of Social Studies 2009 “Leadership Strengths” Georgia Council of Social Studies PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Georgia Council for Social Studies Georgia Leadership Association for Social Studies President, 2008-2009 National Council for the Social Studies National Social Studies Supervisor Association Publications Coordinator, 2013 – Present President, 2011-2012 Treasurer, 2008 - 2012 Executive Board Member, 2007-2013 Georgia Association for Economics Education Advisory Board President, 2012-2013 Southern History of Education Society History of Education Society Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Georgia Association for Gifted Children National Association for Gifted Children AWARDS: 2014 Georgia Leadership Association of Social Studies Supervisor of the Year 2004 Georgia Council for Social Studies Outstanding Educator 2002 Star Teacher, Starr’s Mill High School 1998 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, Fayetteville District THE RURAL SCHOOL PROJECT OF THE ROSENWALD FUND, 1934-1946 by Rebecca Hollis Ryckeley Under the Direction of Deron Boyles, Ph.D. ABSTRACT In this dissertation I examine the work implemented by officers of the Rosenwald Fund after the school building program ended in 1932. Based on extensive visits to Rosenwald schools throughout the rural South, members of the Rosenwald Fund recognized the need to improve instruction and resources in the schools and established the Rural School Council. Through various demonstration projects and field studies, the work shifted to improving teacher education by heavily investing in several colleges including West Georgia College, South Georgia Teachers College, The University of Georgia, and Fort Valley State Teachers College. The Rural School Council members believed that by improving schools, rural living conditions and race relations would also improve. To explore the work of the Rural School Council, I wrote a narrative historical study, analyzing extensive archival collections from Fisk University, The Amistad Research Center, and the Georgia Archives as well as books and journal articles written by Council members. The work of the Council led to lasting change in teacher education in Georgia. INDEX WORDS: Rosenwald Schools, History of Rural Education, History Higher Education, Pre-Service Teacher Education THE RURAL SCHOOL PROGRAM OF THE ROSENWALD FUND, 1934-1946 by Rebecca Hollis Ryckeley A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies in the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 2015 Copyright by Rebecca H. Ryckeley 2015 DEDICATION So many people believed in me and supported my journey. I dedicate this book to just a few. Cathy Geis for making me pursue this degree and smiling like the enigmatic Mona Lisa as I meandered my way through the process. Her confidence that I could finish motivated me throughout the process. My mother and father, John and Kay Hollis for making me believe that history lives right next to us around every corner and for their lifelong love of learning. My long-suffering husband, Rick, for being my rock and for keeping me grounded throughout all the long hours of research and writing and for traveling to so many archives! Finally I dedicate this project to Beth Howse. You introduced me to Red Oak and the Rural School Project. You listened as I gushed on and on about the files, and you helped me set my course. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am eternally grateful to my family, my friend, colleagues, and co-workers who have supported me and encouraged my work. I wish to thank my committee members who were more than generous with their expertise and precious time. A special thanks to Dr. Deron Boyles, my committee chairman for his countless hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and most of all patience throughout the entire process. Thank you Dr. Philo Hutcheson for introducing me to the fascinating rabbit hole of the history of education. The combination of my two passions – education and history, continues to engage my imagination and academic curiosity. Thank you Dr. Chara Bohan and Dr. Daphne Greenberg for agreeing to serve on my committee. Your confidence in me has been inspiring through long hours of research and writing. I give special thanks to Dr. Clifford Kuhn because in your Georgia History class I first encountered the joy of archival research and the Rural School Project. You wanted my final project to be useful, and I believe you can see that it was. I would be remiss to omit Dr. Donna Breault. Although you left Georgia State, your original belief in my abilities to undertake a Ph.D. program and support form my combined love of curriculum and history inspired me. I most especially thank Dr. Jessie Carney Smith, Dean of the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Fisk University. Your gracious hospitality and interest in my research as well as your willingness to open the archives to me even in the hardest circumstances helped
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