The Oral Histories of Three Retired African American
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE ORAL HISTORIES OF THREE RETIRED AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPERINTENDENTS FROM GEORGIA by GARRICK ARION ASKEW (UNDER the Direction of Sally J. Zepeda) ABSTRACT This study included the oral histories of three retired African American superintendents who were natives of Georgia. The participants had professional careers that collectively spanned 54 years, beginning as teachers and moving into administrative positions including the superintendency. This study used archival documents, newspaper reports, and research and literature on segregation, desegregation, and career mobility to provide context for the participants’ oral histories. Three research questions guided the interviews for this study: 1. How did each of the participants first enter education? 2. How were the participants able to ascend to the superintendency in light of challenges that they faced as African American school administrators? 3. What was the experience of being an African American educator and school administrator in Georgia school districts? The data revealed common factors in the career experiences of the participants. Common factors included childhood mentoring in segregated K-12 schools, segregated schools as extended families, self image and life skills training, and academic preparation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Other common factors influencing the participants were professional mentoring at HBCUs, experiences with career mobility processes, school desegregation as the impetus for advancement, financial challenges of the superintendency, and knowing when to retire. These factors significantly impacted the participants and their development as educators and helped to mold their personal and professional identities as African American superintendents. Further, the participants’ discussions about their unique experiences as African American educators who became superintendents in Georiga was especially important because the participants were among the small number of surviving, native Georgian, African American superintendents who worked in the state since the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court case. The oral history research method used in this study allowed the researcher to document and to analyze this important and previsously unavailable information. INDEX WORDS: African American superintendents, superintendents, career mobility, desegregation, segregation, Historically Black Colleges and Universities THE ORAL HISTORIES OF THREE RETIRED AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPERINTENDENTS FROM GEORGIA by GARRICK ARION ASKEW B.S., Northwestern State University, 1998 MED., Northwestern State University, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION ATHENS, GEORGIA 2004 © 2004 Garrick Arion Askew All Rights Reserved THE ORAL HISTORIES OF THREE RETIRED AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPERINTENDENTS FROM GEORGIA by GARRICK ARION ASKEW Major Professor: Sally J. Zepeda Committee: John Dayton William G. Wraga Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August, 2004 DEDICATION In loving memory of my grandmother, Mrs. Rosa Cofield, a woman who believed that a child’s schooling should start long before kindergarten. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS God sent many people into my life without any this moment would not have occurred. Dr. Sally J. Zepeda, my major professor, my professional mentor, my friend, thank you. UGA is a huge place but you never let me get lost, and you made Athens feel like a home away from home. Drs. William Wraga and John Dayton, who stepped in and provided assistance when I needed it, thank you. Dr. C. Thomas Holmes, the first person that I had correspondence with at UGA and the man who led me to my participants, thank you. The entire faculty and staff in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy at UGA, thank you. Each of you has influenced me in some way. I extend a special thank you to my parents Walter and Barbara Askew, and my sister Jessica and to the Cofield, Childs, and Robinson families. All of you have inspired me. The lessons that I learned as a child carried me to this point. Finally, to my participants, Mrs. Beauty Baldwin, Dr. John Culbreath, and Dr. Evans Harris, thank you for allowing me to enter your worlds. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study......................................................................................1 Research Questions .......................................................................................2 Significance of the Study ..............................................................................3 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................3 Definition of Terms .......................................................................................5 Assumptions ..................................................................................................6 Organization of the Study..............................................................................7 2 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE ................................................9 Introduction ...................................................................................................9 The Context and Effects of School Desegregation in Georgia and the Southern United States, 1950-1979 ..............................10 Literature and Research on the African American Superintendency .................................................32 Chapter Summary........................................................................................50 vi 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................54 The Researcher’s Role in Oral History .......................................................54 Initiating the Study ......................................................................................56 Oral History Theory ....................................................................................58 Quality Concerns in Oral History Research................................................59 Theoretical Framework ...............................................................................60 Sampling Method ........................................................................................62 Participant Profiles ......................................................................................63 Trustworthiness ...........................................................................................65 Validity........................................................................................................66 Reliability ....................................................................................................74 Generalizability ...........................................................................................74 Neutrality.....................................................................................................75 Limitations...................................................................................................75 Chapter Summary........................................................................................76 4 DR. JOHN CULBREATH...............................................................................77 Childhood and Schooling in a Segregated System......................................77 Undergraduate Study...................................................................................86 Teaching ......................................................................................................96 The Assistant Principalship.......................................................................106 Doctoral Studies ........................................................................................119 The Principalship and Central-Office Experiences ...................................122 The Dougherty County Superintendency..................................................146 vii 5 DR. EVANS HARRIS...................................................................................162 Early Experiences......................................................................................162 Teaching ....................................................................................................168 The Principalship.......................................................................................175 Doctoral Studies ........................................................................................190 The Professorate........................................................................................198 The Superintendency.................................................................................209 6 BEAUTY P. BALDWIN ...............................................................................221 A Strong Foundation .................................................................................221 Teaching ....................................................................................................231 School Administration...............................................................................252