Written in 1953, this book presents the reminiscences of a renowned scientist about his early education in a one-room school at Prairie View, Kansas, during the 1870s and 1880s. The first chapter records early memories of the road to school, and describes the community of Anglo and German farmers served by Prairie View. Other chapters describe…

THROUGH LEGISLATIVE ACTION, THE STATE OF KANSAS REDUCED ITS SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM 1500 TO 349 IN A SINGLE YEAR. INITIALLY IN 1896 THERE WERE 9,284 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, MOST OF THEM ONE TEACHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THEY BECAME COMMUNITY CENTERS AND ALTHOUGH OUTMODED IN PRACTICALITY FOR EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMICAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES, THERE REMAINED…

Country schools in eastern and central Kansas are explored from six different aspects: country schools as historic sites; teachers (their roles, rules, and restrictions); reading, writing, arithmetic, and recitation (a day in a rural school); country schools and the Americanization of ethnic groups; country schools as community centers; and…