BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Transcription

1 BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Creator: Board of Public Education (Administrative Offices and Schools that Fall Under their Jurisdiction) Dates: Extent: 38 feet of materials including 206 boxes, containing annual reports, administrative records, photographs and reports. Also there are 54 enrollment registers, 63 grade ledgers and 291 volumes of attendance records. Directories of school personnel and maps of the school district are also included. Language: All of the materials are in English. Repository: William R. Oliver Special Collections Room, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Branch, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA Acquisition Information: The materials were originally given to the Pennsylvania Room at the Main Branch of the Carnegie Public Library by the Board of Public Education in The materials were later transferred to the Oliver Room. Copyright: Restrictions: None Processing Information: This collection was originally processed by Jane Newell, but the finding aid was revised by Christina Patton Arrangement: The directories, ledgers and maps were already arranged in date order. The administrative records were divided by the offices that created them: the Office of the Board of Public Education, the Office of Business Affairs, Office of the Superintendent, the Office of Instruction and the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Historical Note: The first Pittsburgh free public school was opened on September 5, 1835 under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Free Public School Act of 1834, which provided state aid for the creation of municipal public school systems. Within a year, three additional schools were opened in rented factory space, and in 1836, the first building designed specifically for a public school was erected in Pittsburgh. From 1835 to 1854, the Pittsburgh public school system was divided into four districts, or wards (North, South, East and West), with each ward electing a board of school directors. Each ward board had full control of the educational and financial interests of their respective ward schools. In 1854, the state legislature amended the Free Public School Act, thereby consolidating the Pittsburgh public school system into one school district and creating the office of county superintendent. The management of the public schools was vested in a Central Board of Education, composed of one elected director from each ward. It was empowered to fix and pay the salaries of all teachers, adopt the course of study for all schools, establish and manage all high schools, manual training and other auxiliary schools, supply free books and supplies for all students, and manage the municipal school budget. The school district was divided into nine subdistricts, or wards, with each subdistrict administered by a board of school directors. These subdistrict boards were empowered to levy local taxes, elect teachers, purchase grounds, erect and maintain school buildings and to provide school equipment. One of the first acts of the Central Board was the approval of plans 1

2 for opening a public high school. Opened in September 1855 in rented space, high school classes were relocated to the new Central High School building in In 1868, with the enactment of a new state law, Pittsburgh elected its first City Superintendent of Schools. Over the next fifty years, the city continued to expand and the school district consisted of forty-two subdistricts by The annexation of Allegheny City in 1907 added a second school district, governed by an independent Board of Controllers, and fifteen subdistricts to an already beleaguered school system. Plagued by allegations of corruption, the Pittsburgh public school system was completely reorganized in 1911 under the provisions of the School Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Under this law, the City of Pittsburgh was constituted a first-class district and the entire management of the public schools of the former Pittsburgh and Allegheny school districts was vested in a board of fifteen directors. These directors, collectively and officially known as the Board of Public Education, were appointed by the judge of the Court of Common Please until 1976, when the board became an elective body. On November 13, 1911, the board assumed the properties, duties and debts of sixty-one subdistricts and two central boards. The principal duties of the board were twofold: first, to define the general policies, exercise general supervision and legislate upon all matters concerning management of the schools; second, to establish, equip, furnish and maintain sufficient schools and appoint and employ necessary personnel. In 1911, the Board instituted several new programs and services, including vocational schools and open air and mental deviate classes. Over the succeeding years, the Board continued in this tradition by instituting vocational guidance services, continuation and extension programs, and nursery, kindergarten, platoon, and junior high schools. Under the new board, a central administration was developed. The first administrative departments (Superintendent, Education and Business) were housed in the Fifth Avenue High School. Over the next seventy years, as the administration expanded to accommodate new programs and services, the organization remained virtually unchanged, with divisions grouped under three major departments: the Office of the Superintendent, Office of Instruction and the Office of Business Affairs. These offices have been housed in the Board of Public Education Administration Building since In 1926, at the request of the Superintendent of Schools, the Board appointed a special Survey Commission to study the educational organization, administration and supervision of the Pittsburgh school system. The results, published as A Study of the Educational Department of the Pittsburgh Public Schools in 1928 were based on reports submitted by education department heads and school principals. These reports, written in response to the questionnaires prepared by the Survey Commission, discuss the history, programs, organization and objectives of the individual departments and schools. Supplemental reports, concerning the relationship between individual schools and specific central departments, were also submitted by schools principals, In its published study, the Survey Commission recommended the preservation of these reports for their valuable historical material on the origin, establishment and growth of each school district in the city. These Survey Commission Reports constitute the fundamental records for both the educational departments and the individual schools. 2

3 Scope and Content Note: The collection houses material on nearly every public school to fall under the Board of Public Education. Boxes 1-7 contain administrative information, including reports and surveys. There is also substantial information about the curriculum and enrollment. Boxes 8 through 20 contain information on specific schools. Directories, grade ledgers and attendance books make up the bulk of this collection. Survey Commission Reports are another major component, with reports from all departments and schools. The departmental reports are filed under the Office of Instruction and the school reports are located in the School Histories section. Container List: Series 1: Office of Business Affairs (Formerly: Department of Business, ; Department of the Secretary of the Board, ; Secretary and Business Manager, ) Box 1 Office of Business Affairs Statement of School District to Governor s Committee on Education on the Subject of School Finance Statement of School District to Governor s Committee on Education: Task Force on Curriculum Statement of School District to Governor s Committee on Education: Teacher Preparation, Certification and Relations Miscellaneous Accounts- Central Board of Education (November 1911) Receipt for Electrical Items from James G. Biddle Bond issued to George Hoerr (1869) Account sheet for February 4, 1909 Annual Reports of the Secretary and Business Manager , 1959 and 1961 Annual Report of the Superintendent Series 2: Office of Instruction (Formerly: Department of Instruction, ; Department of Education, ) Box 2 Office of Instruction (Survey Commission Reports) Report on the Art Department (1926) Report on the Department of Commercial Education (1926) Organization and Scope of Work of the Department of Compulsory Education Report on the Department of Curriculum Study, Educational Measure and Research (1926) Report on Pittsburgh Elementary Schools East and Central Districts 3

4 Report on the Department of Extension Education (1926) Extension Education in Pittsburgh Public Schools (1952) Report on the Department of Handwriting 1926 Report on the Household Economy Department 1926 Report on the Department of Hygiene (1926) Folder 7 Report on the Kindergarten Department (1926) Inquiry about the Kindergarten Department Folder 8 Reports on the Department of Music (undated and 1927) Box 3 Office of Instruction (Survey Commission Reports) Reports on a Questionnaire Submitted to the Principals of the Pittsburgh Public Schools for Platoon and Non-Platoon Schools Reports on a Questionnaire Submitted to the Principals of the Pittsburgh Public Schools by the Survey Commission for Continuation Schools Reports on a Questionnaire Submitted to the Principals of the Pittsburgh Public Schools by the Survey Commission for Allerdice High School, Gladstone Junior High School and Latimer Junior High School Consolidated Report a Questionnaire Submitted to the Principals of Six Year High Schools. (Langley, South, Oliver, Perry, Westinghouse and Oliver) Consolidated Report a Questionnaire Submitted to the Principals of Four Year High Schools. Outline and Report for the Department of Primary Instruction, Elementary and Practice Teaching Final Submitted Report (1926) Report on the Department of Retail Selling for Pittsburgh Public High Schools Comments on the Report on the Department of Retail Selling for Pittsburgh Public High Schools 4

5 Report on the Pittsburgh Secondary Schools by C.R. Foster (1926) Outline Analysis of the Work of the Department of Platoon Organization and Supervision (1926) Box 4 Office of Instruction (Folders 1-10) and the Office of the Superintendent (Folders 12-16) Publications Courses of Study (German, French, Spanish and Latin) Courses of Study (General Science and Science) Courses of Study (Industrial Education and Plumbing) Departmental Reports on the Enrollment Figures for Evening School, Platoon Schools and Junior/Senior High School. Enrollment ( ) Folder 7 Departmental Report on the Evaluation of Opportunities Schools Program Folder 8 Departmental Report on Attendance for the Special Programs of the Department of Vocational Guidance Folder 9 Departmental Report on Accidents to Students (1971) 0 Departmental Report on System-wide Programs and Services ( ) 1 Juvenile Court Detention Home School, Enrollment and Attendence 1949 and 1941 Box 5 Office of the Superintendent Duties of the 1 st Associate Superintendent of Schools (1926) Outline and Description of the Duties of an Associate Superintendent (1926) 5

6 100 Years in the Pittsburgh Public Schools (Flyers and Memo from 1955) History of the Schools Committee Reports (Improvement of the Junior High School and Programs of Studies) Handbook for Pricipals (1939) Marks and Promotion (1956) Information for Architects Concerning the New High School Building (1907) Picture of Students in the Hall of Architecture at the Carnegie Museum of Art Pittsburgh Playgrounds Folder 7 Maps of the Districts in the Pittsburgh Public Schools (1835, 1855, 1868) Folder 8 Newspaper Clippings and Memoriams Box 6 Office of the Educational Statistician and Teaching Institutes Board Report Procedures for Compiling Attendance Figures Box 7 Information about public schools that had been closed (from former employees) Correspondence with Owen C. Lewis (Educational Statistician) Meeting Minutes and Enrollment Charts History and Brief Outline of the History of the Pittsburgh Public Schools History of High Schools in Pittsburgh Folder 7 Allegheny City Teachers Institute and the Pittsburgh Teachers Institute Our Schools Today Reports (Bulk ) 6

7 Series 3: School Histories Box 8 Taylor Allderdice High School, Allegheny, Allen, American Avenue, Andrews, Arlington, Arsenal Girls Vocational, Arsenal Junior High School, Bane, Banksville, Baxter, Becks Run, Bedford, Beechwood, Bell, Bellefield Box 9 Bellevue, Belmar, Beltzhoover, Bennett, Birmingham, Boggs Avenue, Bon Air, Brashear, Brookline, Brown s, John Burroughs, Business High School, Carmalt, Carrick High School, Box 10 Chartiers, Chatham, City View Longfellow and Valley Schools, Clayton, Colfax, Columbus, Community School, Concord, Connelley Trade School, Conroy, Cowley, Dilworth, Duquesne, East Carnegie, East Street and Spring Hill, East Street, Esplen Box 11 Fairywood, Fifth Avenue, Fineview, Forbes, Fort Pitt, Stephen C. Foster, Franklin, Frick Nursery School, Frick Training School for Teachers, Friendship, Fulton, Garfield, Gladstone, Glenwood, Grant, Greenfield Box 12 Hall s Grove, Hancock, Hazelwood, Heart House, Herron Hill, Holmes, Homewood, Humboldt, Industrial Home for Crippled Children, Irwin Avenue Girls Vocational H.S., Irwin Avenue Junior High, Jefferson, Knox, Knoxville Elementary, Knoxville Union H.S., Langley Junior Senior H.S. Box 13 Larimer, Latimer, Lawrence, Lee, Lemington, Letsche, Liberty, Lincoln, Linden, Linwood, Lockhart, J.M. Logan, Longfellow, Madison, Manchester, Horace Mann Box 14 McCandless, McCleary, McKee, McKelvy, McNaugher and Linwood, Mifflin, Miller, Milroy, John Minadeo, Minersville, Montooth, Moorhead, Morningside, John Morrow, Morse, Mt. Albion, Mt. Washington, Phlip Murray, North View Heights, Oakwood, Obey Box 15 Oliver Junior Senior H.S., Osceola, Overbrook, Park Place, Peabody, Penn School, Perry, Philips, Pioneer, Pittsburgh Central High School, Pittsburgh Training School for Teachers, Prospect Junior High, Ralston, Regent Square, Reizenstein Middle School, Rochelle School, James E. Rogers, Quentin Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Rose, Schaeffer Box 16 Schenley High School, Schiller, Shakespeare, Snodgrass, Soho, Somers, South High School, South Hills High School, Springfield, Spring Garden, Spring Lane, Sterrett, Thaddeus Stevens, Stevenson, Sunnyside, Swisshelm Box

8 Terrace School, Troy Hill, 28 th Ward Schools Report(Bell, Chartiers, E. Carnegie, Fairywood, Windgap, Stevenson, Obey and Oakwood), Washington and Bayard, Washington Vocational Technical High School, Watt, Daniel Webster, Weil, Westinghouse High School, Westlake and Thaddeus Stevens, West Liberty, Westwood, Wickersham, Wightman, Windgap, Woods Run through Woolslair Box 18 Morningside School History (Newspaper Clippings, Graduation Programs) Box 19 Pittsburgh Central High School (Newspaper Clippings) Box 20 Buhl Foundation Nursery School at Bellefield Public School ca (Photographs) Series 4: Subdistrict School Boards (abolished in 1911 by the School Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) Box 21 5 th Ward (Annual Statement and Teaching Positions List) 9 th Ward (Financial Report, 1911) 12 th Ward (Construction Receipts) 15 th Ward (Bond) Peebles Public School (Financial Report and Legal Documents) Lawrence Subdistrict (Bonds, Loans, and Receipts) Folder 7 Mt. Albion School Board (Resolution) Folder 8 St. Clair Subdistrict (Commemorative Buttons) I. Minute Books 5th Ward (Allegheny) ( , 1 volume) 12 th Ward (Allegheny) ( , 1 volume) West Liberty Subdistrict ( , 1 volume) II. Financial Records Building Contract (Osceola Subdistrict) (1890) 8

9 Railroad Tickets (West Liberty Subdistrict) (1903) Series 5: Office of the Board of Education (Succeeds: The Central Board of Education, School District of Pittsburgh, ; The Board of Controllers, School District of Allegheny, ) I. Directories Personnel Personnel (Supplements) ) Administration ( , 1969) Street Car and Motor Coach (1950, 1952, 1955) II. Maps, Charts, Diagrams, Graphs, Etc. School Population Distribution by City Blocks (1926, 3 volumes) Playgrounds, Pools and Evening Recreation (1950) Public Schools ( ) Subdistricts (1959) Public Schools, Parochial Schools, Private Schools, Orphans Homes, Settlement Houses and Charitable Institutions for Children, Public Schools (1970, 1 volume) Spot Maps- Elementary Schools (1971, 6 volumes) Spot Maps- Secondary Schools (1971, 1 volume) Area II Office, 1973 Middle School Study, (n.d.) Presentation to the Pennsylvania General Assembly (1945, 1 volume) III. Reports Statistical Report by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1876, ) Educational Surveys: Appropriations and Subsidies (1925) Series 6: Ledgers (Enrollment and Grade) I. Enrollment Registers American Avenue School (ca ), 1 volume Bayard School ( ), 2 volumes Cargo School ( ), 1 volume Columbus School ( ), 8 volumes Cowley School ( , ), 5 volumes East Street School ( ), 1 volume Forbes Public School ( ), 4 volumes Grant Public School ( ), 1 volume Hancock School ( ), 1 volume Humboldt School ( ), 1 volume Larimer School ( ), 3 volumes Lemington School ( ), 2 volumes Lincoln School ( ), 2 volumes Luckey School ( ), 1 volume Minersville School ( ), 1 volume 9

10 Moorhead School ( ), 2 volumes Mt. Washington Schools ( ), 1 volume Peebles School ( , 1886, ), 1 volume Perry School ( ), 1 volume Prospect School ( ), 1 volume Shady Avenue School ( , 1906, ), 4 volumes Washington School No th Street ( ), 3 volumes Washington School No. 2 Main Street ( ), 1 volume West Liberty ( ), 6 volumes II. Grade Ledgers Allegheny High School Junior/Senior Class ( ), 1 volume Normal Course ( ), 1 volume Practice Teaching ( ), 1 volume Allegheny High School ( ), 3 volumes A Division ( ), 1 volume B Division ( ), 1 volume C Division ( ), 1 volume D Division ( ), 1 volume East Street School ( ), 1 volume Franklin School ( ), 1 volume Humboldt School ( ), 2 volumes Knoxville Union High School ( ), 6 volumes Bi Monthly Reports ( ), 5 unbound volumes Quarterly Reports ( ), 4 unbound volumes and 3 spiral volumes Larimer School ( ) Lemington School (1945), 1 volume Lincoln School ( ), 3 volumes McCleary School ( ) Morningside School ( ), 7 volumes Pittsburgh Central High School ( ), 4 volumes West Liberty School (1902; ; ) III. Attendance Records Belmar School ( ), 1 volume Fair Haven School ( ), 1 volume Fifth Ward School (Allegheny) ( ), 1 volume Franklin School ( ; ), 5 volumes Hays School ( ; ), 14 volumes Humboldt School ( ; ; ), 3 volumes Lincoln School ( ), 3 volumes Monongahela School ( ), 1 volume Morningside School ( ; , 1919), 31 volumes Oak School ( ), 3 volumes Overbrook School (School Hill) ( ), 27 volumes Overbrook School (Oak Station) , 15 volumes Perry School ( ), 1 volume 10

11 Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer School (1900), 1 volume Spring Hill School ( ), 35 volumes Troy Hill School ( ), 1 volume West Liberty School ( ; 1906; ), 72 volumes IV. Graduate Lists Knoxville Union High School ( ), 1 volume Pittsburgh Central High School ( ), 1 volume V. Teachers Textbook and Supply Account Morningside ( ; ), 4 volumes West Liberty ( ), 4 volumes VII. Financial Records Conroy School- Petty Cash and Ticket Sales ( ), 1 volume VIII. Teachers Records Irwin Avenue School- Absences and Salary Received ( ), 1 volume IX. Superintendent s Daily Bulletin West Liberty (1913), 1 volume X. Class Composition Irwin Avenue School- Uniform Exposition Papers (1883), 2 volumes XI. Family Index Prospect School (ca ), 1 volume 11