| This study examines the Topeka, Kansas, school system between the years 1854 and 1980. This history was written within the context of the life and development of Topeka. The development of the Topeka Public Schools cannot be understood outside the social, religious, political, and cultural context of a people working to create a viable city on the Central Plains. It seems as though as the city went so did the schools; the two appear to be inseparable.;Perhaps no other school district in America is as well known nationally among legal scholars, civil rights activists, and educators as the Topeka Public Schools. Certainly, the 1954 Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ensured that the Topeka Public Schools will have a lasting place in American history.;Topeka was founded by nine men in December of 1854. Among the early institutions of the city were churches and schools. The school district was officially organized in 1867. In the first 113 years of the district's history many significant events occurred. This study examines the first 113 years of the district's history from its beginning through 1980.;This study is divided into nine chapters and a postscript. The following topics are discussed in each chapter: (1) The Beginnings, 1854-1870; (2) Birth of the high school and growth of the schools, 1870-1879; (3) The exodus, Tennesseetown, and Charles Sheldon, 1880-1905; (4) The era of lost opportunities, 1892-1918; (5) The Aaron J. Stout years, 1918-1942; (6) McFarland to Brown, 1942-1952; (7) Brown v. Board of Education; (8) The Topeka Public Schools in the wake of Brown, 1953-1961; and (9) The turbulent years, 1961-1980.;In order to write a history of the Topeka Public Schools a vast assortment of primary and secondary sources were utilized. These included: the materials of the Kansas State Historical Society; the Shawnee County Historical Society; public libraries; histories of Kansas; unpublished records from the district's archives such as board minutes and annual reports; newspaper accounts and articles. |
