What was normal about Virginia's normal schools: A history of Virginia's state normal schools, 1882--1930

This study examines Virginia's five state normal schools at Petersburg, Farmville, Harrisonburg, Fredericksburg and Radford during the period 1882 to 1930. It brings together the historiographies of teacher education, women's education and southern education. The research is guided by one main question: What was normal about Virginia's state normal schools? This study begins with a brief history of normal schools and teacher training at the national level. It then sets the development of Virginia's state normal schools within the broader context of national and state history, discussing the politics, prejudice, economics, and educational market forces that contributed to their shape and character. It highlights the interaction between these forces and the institutional forces of administration, of the schools' presidents and Boards of Trustees. It also analyzes the normal school teachers, focusing on who they were and how they contributed to the character of the schools. What were their credentials and what were their responsibilities? Another section of this study compares and contrasts curricular and extra-curricular activities, analyzing campus life from the perspectives of pedagogical training, academic culture, character formation/leadership training, and nontraditional activities and associations. The final section considers the students themselves, elaborating on their background prior to enrollment and their activities post-graduation. The intent of this study is not to provide a comprehensive history of the five institutions but to begin to illuminate the role the schools, their instructional staff and their students played in Virginia's transition from the Old South to the New.