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North Carolina. Superintendent of Common Schools and Calvin Henderson Wiley, 1819-1887
First Annual Report of the General Superintendent of Common Schools
Raleigh: W. W. Holden, 1854.

Summary

Calvin Henderson Wiley (3 February 1819-11 January 1887), the first North Carolina native to publish a novel and the state's first superintendent of public education, was born in eastern Guilford County. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1840 and became Superintendent of Common Schools for the state in 1853, having been elected by the General Assembly in December 1852. In his first annual report, Superintendent Wiley informs Governor David S. Reid about the status of North Carolina's common schools, which began operating in 1840. In the recently established position of superintendent, Wiley's goals included traveling to many areas of the state to address various educational concerns, including simplifying and standardizing textbook usage, establishing more model and normal schools throughout the state, improving the quality of teachers and education, and increasing the literacy rate. The appendix includes a circular that emphasizes the need for a higher standard regarding the state's teachers and suggests various methods of achieving this standard. It also briefly stresses the importance of classroom blackboards.

Monique Prince

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