1. The standard pattern for rural schools in North Carolina is, without question, the consolidated school. People of the State have been working consistently at this problem for more than twenty years. Proof, if proof is needed, that the consolidated school is the standard pattern for rural North Carolina may, in part at least, be found in the following:

1. A beginning has been made in consolidating rural colored schools. In 1936-37 there were:

2. 174,050, or 90.2 percent of colored children in rural districts in 1936-37 were not transported to school.

3. Of this number 119,221 were enrolled in 1,817 one, two and three-teacher schools.

4. Of these 1,817 one, two and three-teacher schools for colored children, 845, nearly half, have been described in a state-federal survey (W. F. Credle) as “bad”. Two paragraphs quoted from this survey are as follows:

5. Counties in which there were in 1936-37 ten or more small rural schools for colored children:

  One-Teacher Two- and Three-Teacher (1) Alamance 19 8 (2) Anson 14 25 (3) Bertie 15 22 (4) Bladen 29 13 (5) Caldwell 10 1 (6) Caswell 32 13 (7) Chatham 28 9 (8) Cleveland 10 15 (9) Columbus 13 17 (10) Craven 17 7 (11) Cumberland 22 22 (12) Davie 13 1 (13) Duplin 18 15 (14) Forsyth 10 9 (15) Franklin 17 18 (16) Gates 12 8 (17) Granville 24 14 (18) Halifax 16 24 (19) Harnett 16 15 (20) Iredell 12 10 (21) Jones 16 2 (22) Orange 18 9 (23) Pender 21 8 (24) Person 14 13 (25) Pitt 19 20 (26) Randolph 12 4 (27) Robeson 20 20 (28) Rockingham 16 10 (29) Rowan 23 3 (30) Rutherford 15 5 (31) Sampson 24 25 (32) Union 29 7 (33) Warren 11 25 (34) Wayne 13 17 (36) Wilkes 10 0

The present status of rural schools for colored children challenges the most earnest and thoughtful consideration of all official and other leaders in North Carolina. This is true whether considered as a matter of education, economics, race problems, government or otherwise.

The Works Progress Administration, and perhaps, the Public Works Administration, separately or both, may be used to plan and carry out a constructive program that will change permanently, and in a reasonably short period of time, a very unhappy situation. We believe this single problem which involves 119,221 colored children enrolled in 1,817 *

* For a description of many of these small schools see pages 11 and 12.

The teachers, pupils, and parents in the 1,817 communities where the small rural colored schools are located (as well as in large districts) need the assistance of some sympathetic understanding person who can help them in the difficult situations which they face. Jeanes teachers were employed in 59 counties in North Carolina in 1937-1938. These workers are, in most counties, well-trained and have had wide experience in rural schools. Their duties are to visit the small schools as frequently as may be desired by county superintendents to help the teachers in organizing and carrying out the state school program; to assist parent-teacher groups in making improvements in the school plant, and to help raise money for libraries, school equipment and other improvements. Jeanes teachers were able to raise in their several counties in 1937-1938 $59,493.78, all of which was used under the direction of superintendents for school improvements.

Only a few counties (10 in 1937-1938) since the depression, year of 1933, have found it possible to provide money which with the aid of the Jeanes Fund, was sufficient to employ a full-time Jeanes teacher who gave all her time, under the county superintendents' direction, to visiting and aiding all the elementary colored schools in the county. The others, (49 last year) were regular teachers in some school, giving only odd out-of-school time to the service of the rural schools in her county. This service was meagre and not nearly so effective as full time service described above. The Jeanes Fund appropriated $11,833.78 for this program in 1937-1938.

In pre-depression years the state through its State Equalization Board allotted to the counties about one-half the salary and a sum for travel over the county for each of the Jeanes teachers employed then. We believe that this service, particularly in view of the nearly 2,000 small rural schools is highly valuable and should be restored to the status of about 1930 if possible. The amount necessary for the 59 counties (which include about 70% of the colored school population) would not be large in comparison with the service rendered and the number of schools and people concerned. We are including in Chapter VI a recommendation in regard to this important matter.

1. The oldest of the five institutions operated by the State is the Normal School, now teachers college, at Fayetteville. This was established under the leadership of Governor Vance in 1877. So far as facts available show, this is the oldest school of its type for either race in the entire South. One other similar school of this kind was established in Mississippi about 1870, but that ceased to exist soon after the turn of the century, about 1904.

2. Six other normal schools were established by the State, but all of these except those at Elizabeth City (1892) and the Teachers College (1892) at Winston-Salem have gone out of existence.

3. The Agricultural and Technical (formerly Mechanical) College was established at Greensboro in 1891.

At the beginning all four of these institutions were a composite of elementary schools, high schools, and some feeble attempts in college courses. Gradually, as the communities in which these institutions were located assumed responsibility for elementary colored schools, these grades disappeared from the normal schools and the college at Greensboro. A similar process of gradual elimination removed the high school grades also. However, the dropping of the elementary and high schools from the then known college programs was a slow long drawn out process. Even within the last twenty years both these departments were still flourishing in some of these institutions.

4. In 1923 another institution came into the program of higher education for colored people. In that year the legislature created the State Normal School at Durham. In 1925 the General Assembly gave it a charter as the first liberal arts college for Negroes in North Carolina or in the South. This college was originally established as the National Religious Training School—a private institution, many years before the State made it a public college.

5. All five of these state-owned institutions, ranging in age, so far as the State is concerned, from sixty-one years (Fayetteville State Normal School) to fifteen years (North Carolina College for Negroes, Durham) operate now only on the four-year college level. Elementary and high school departments have been out for several years, except, of course, the training departments which are now provided as a part of the state public school system and not, as formerly, an organized part of the college themselves.

1. The institutions at Elizabeth City and Fayetteville, since the elimination of the elementary and high school departments, were operated as two year normal schools until 1936 when they embarked upon a four-year teachers college program. The first four-year college classes will graduate from these two institutions in June 1939.

2. The teachers college at Winston-Salem began its career as a four-year teachers college in 1925. This college and those at Elizabeth City and Fayetteville compose the back-bone of the State's facilities for training teachers for its colored elementary schools. Their total average annual enrollments are beyond 500 each, 1,500 for all three. They will probably graduate next June (1939) about 250 four-year college trained teachers for the elementary schools. About 100 or more beyond that number will be needed to fill the vacancies in the colored elementary schools in September 1939. This latter number—100—will probably be supplied by the private colleges in the State and college trained applicants from outside the State. In the colored elementary schools there are almost exactly 6,000 teachers. The annual need for beginning teachers ranges from about 350 to 500.

3. Judging from the facts stated above, it appears that the State can depend upon its three institutions (and the private colleges) for training to provide its annual needs hereafter so far as teachers for its elementary colored schools are concerned. All of these teachers to be trained on four-year college levels, and to have had necessary training to fit them to be good effective teachers in small or large rural, as well as urban schools.

4. The Agricultural and Technical College at Greensboro, and the North Carolina College for Negroes at Durham have not had their aims and functions so well defined and specified by state authority as is true of the three teacher-training colleges described above. There has been considerable discussion, much of it probably unwise and ill-advised, as to the aims and purposes of these two institutions. There is no need here to enter into a prolonged discussion of any phase of this matter, further than to point out a few pertinent facts:

1. The total annual enrollments of the five state institutions have grown rapidly in the last twenty years. No reliable data are available for 1918,—twenty years ago. Enrollments have increased from 109 in 1923 to 805 in 1928, to 1,207 in 1933 and to 2,435 in 1938.

2. Increase in high school enrollments since 1923 also shows remarkable growth as follows: 1923, 3,477; 1928, 14,330; 1933, 21,980; and in 1938, 33,242. These figures indicate continued rapid growth in college enrollments. Predictions cannot be absolutely correct, but based upon increased attendance in the last fifteen years (both in high schools and in colleges) the next ten years will probably show about 3,500 college students in state institutions in 1943 and 4,000 in 1948.

3. Enrollment data for the five state institutions, regular session, summer school and extension classes for 1937-1938 were as follows:

For many years, the major function of Negro colleges has been to train teachers. In North Carolina they have succeeded so well it appears they must begin at least to place emphasis upon training for other services. As previously mentioned in this report there is already an over-supply of high school teachers. In a very few years, particularly, since both the public and private colleges are training teachers for elementary schools, there will be a surplus in that field also.

Economists, educational and political leaders, as well as sociologists, are claiming that our country is now in the midst of a new era—an era of economic and social crises. They insist that colleges and universities must step-up their programs to include more of the social sciences, civics, health and vocational education. In broad general terms the colleges for colored people in North Carolina must have the same major aims and purposes as do our standard institutions.

In the three colored teachers colleges beginnings are being made, in addition to the regular courses for training elementary school teachers, in three special courses: (a) Home Living,—not intended to train teachers of home economics, but for every student who is to become a teacher; (b) a practical useful program dealing with certain phases of farm life—gardens, poultry, the cow, etc.; (c) a unit dealing with the major concerns of rural life,—the school, church, parent-teacher associations, farm and home clubs, home ownership, tenancy, library service, and others.

Data included in the first chapter of this report reveal the comparative standing of the white and the colored schools in North Carolina. The standards achieved in the white schools and colleges may be considered State Standards in public education in this State. Throughout the report we have used the term State Standards in public education, therefore, instead of white schools and colleges.

Using these Standards as a basis of measurement it will be noted that the colored schools and colleges compare favorably with such standards in a few items. On the whole, however, there are wide differences between the status of the colored schools and colleges and the state standards. In a few instances, notably higher education, the financial support (per student) given by the State to Negro colleges is less than half that given to standard institutions.

It will be observed that since the adoption in 1933 of a statewide program of state support of the public elementary and secondary schools for eight months the colored schools, on two of the most important items in public education, length of term and teacher-pupil load, have been brought up almost exactly to the state standard levels. This remarkable gain has been made in five years under state support, and cooperation with county and city units.

It seems reasonable to believe that definitely well-worked out plans for certain types of financial aid to the local administrative units and the active cooperation and counsel of the state government would produce equally valuable results in reducing differentials on other items in public education. Among these are: Consolidation and transportation, sorely needed buildings and equipment and more high schools; expansion of vocational education programs; adjustment of teachers' salaries; largely increased support for higher education—including graduate and professional training.

We feel, therefore, that our first and foremost recommendation should be to urge upon all who are connected with state and local governments the very great desirability of reducing consciously and definitely the differentials which now exist in the colored schools and colleges as compared with the standards which the State has established in public education,—that yearly improvements be made, even though in some instances they may be slight, in order that these schools which are a part of the state program may be brought up to acceptable standards.

Within the present decade North Carolina has undertaken to support its public schools directly from state funds. In this respect it has embarked upon a program which is unique and challenging among the states of the American Union. At the same time it is a system which the State has been gradually developing under authority of and by direction of its own Constitution.

By gradual growth and development large schools of standard type in the towns and cities, and the consolidated schools in rural districts, have come into being for a large part of the school population. In these schools a modern program of education can and is being offered including health education and vocational training of a superior type.

All of the sixty-nine city administrative units, with a few exceptions, have very satisfactory school buildings, equipment and teachers for colored children. In the rural districts, however, the 1,817 one-, two- and three-teacher schools for colored children constitute the weakest link in the state program of public education.

In view of the gradual but steady progress which has been made in recent years and the present standard types of school plants, rural and urban for practically all except rural Negro children, we recommend that the state aid the counties and the rural districts to eliminate the 1,817 small rural schools for colored children, that this aid include financial assistance, and cooperation of the State Board of Education, the State Department of Public Instruction and the State School Commission; that the State and the counties begin in early 1939 this cooperative development to eliminate the weakest and most ineffective segment of the public school program by making careful joint studies of each county to determine where consolidated school units should be established, work out a plan of gradual development which over a reasonable period of years would bring the rural schools for colored children up to the standard type or pattern for rural schools in North Carolina.