William Link's account of the transformation of Virginia's country
schools between 1870 and 1920 fills important gaps in the history of
education and the social history of the South. His theme is the impact
of localism and community on the processes of public education -- first
as a motive force in the spread of schooling, then as a powerful factor
that collided with the goals of urban reformers.
After the Civil War, localism dominated every dimension of education in
rural Virginia and in the rural South. School expansion depended upon
local enthusiasm and support, and rural education was increasingly
integrated into this environment. These schools mirrored the values of
the society. Drawing expertly from varied sources, Link recreates this
local world: the ways in which schools were organized and governed, the
experiences of teachers and students, and the impact of local control.
In so doing, he reveals the harmony of the nineteenth-century, one-room
school with its surrounding community.
After 1900, the schools entered a long period of change. They became a
prime target of urban social reformers who regarded localism as a
corrosive force responsible for the South's weak political structure,
racial tensions, and economic underdevelopment. School reformers began a
process that ultimately reshaped every dimension of rural public
education in Virginia. During the decades surrounding World War I they
initiated sweeping changes in governance, curriculum, and teacher
training that would have an impact for the next several generations.
They also attempted -- for the most part successfully -- to impose a
segregated pedagogy.
Link carefully develops the role of the Virginia reformers, never
assuming that reform and modernization were unmixed blessings. The
reformers succeeded, he argues, only by recognizing the power and
significance of local control and by respecting the strength of
community influence over schools.
Originally published in 1986.
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