Title: Superintendent of Schools, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin Records
Inclusive Dates: 1906-1966 (bulk 1950-1965)

Creator:

• Kewaunee County (Wis.). Superintendent of Schools

Call Number: Kewaunee Series 80

Quantity: 6.0 cubic feet (14 archives boxes, 1 card box, and 1 oversize folder)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

See the catalog entry for information on possible additional materials and shelf locations.

Abstract:

Records, mainly 1950-1965, created by or relating to the office of the County Superintendent of Schools in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. Series highlights the educational culture of mid-20th century rural Wisconsin, by including student demographics, educational curriculum, records from district-wide school-related events, information on teacher training and qualifications, and first-hand accounts and photographs depicting classroom organization. Administrative documents illustrate supervisory duties as performed by the Superintendent of Schools in conjunction with School Committees, the County Boards of Education, and the State Department of Public Instruction.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-kewa0080

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

The elected office of County Superintendent of Schools was created by state law in 1861 to oversee teachers, enforce curriculum, select library books, and suggest school equipment and renovations.

The records contain documents created by or relating to the office of the County Superintendent of Schools in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, mainly 1950-1965. Series highlights the educational culture of mid-20th century rural Wisconsin by documenting administrative, school, teacher and student activities.

The ADMINISTRATIVE files, 1947-1965, contain records generated by county committees and leaders. These include an incomplete run of meeting minutes and agendas from the County School Committees, 1964-1965, especially regarding district and school line division changes and board/committee elections. Minutes are arranged by the school at which the meeting took place. The series also contains agendas, meeting minutes, and documents from the County Board of Education (alternatively, the County Board Educational Committee), 1954, 1964-1965, in which the County Superintendent of Schools acted as Secretary.

District planning documents detail plans for the future of the district, including a "master plan," 1951, descriptions of altered and created districts, 1961-1964, and county district maps, 1929, 1951.

Annual Reports, 1946-1965, prepared by principals and teachers of one-room schools, 1963-1965, record information about the number of students, attendance, and school property. Annual Reports produced by the county clerks, principals, and treasurers for the County Superintendent of Schools, 1963-1965, combine information from Supervisory visits, descriptions of district events, and some overviews of financial matters. This information is also used by the County Superintendent of Schools to generate annual reports, 1946-1965, for the State Superintendent of Schools.

Also included are Administrative correspondence and memos, 1953-1964 (bulk 1962), between the County Superintendent of Schools and school committees, teachers, parents, and the Department of Public Instruction. These papers document the day-to-day activities of the Superintendent, are loosely organized by date, and are not divided by subject or individual.

The majority of the information contained in the FINANCIAL files, 1906-1965, consists of a sub-series of documents relating to ordering library books (1906-1946) and textbooks (1960-1965), by the County Board of Education Committee. Both library and textbook information includes lists of books, 1960-1963. Books chosen give an insight into trends in the educational curriculum of the school district. Some miscellaneous financial documents that included book titles were retained in this sub-series.

Somewhat unrelated, but perhaps of research interest, the collection also includes information about the World War II - era "Victory Tax," 1943-1944.

Finally, the FINANCIAL files contain Self-Evaluation Data Sheets for Basic or Integrated Aids, 1961-1964, which include information on budgets and financial expenditures. These reports were submitted to the Department of Public Instruction to help determine which kind of educational funding would be provided by the state. In addition to budgetary information, the reports for each school include facts about the makeup of the student body, school resources such as the number of classrooms and the state of the buildings and property, the educational level of the teachers, and the variety of courses offered during this period.

Annual Reports by the Superintendent of Schools, mentioned in the Administrative Series, also contain some financial information.

SUPERVISORY DUTIES files, circa 1939-1965, contains documents relating to the supervisory duties of the County Superintendent of Schools. Supervisory Reports, 1953-1964, arranged by date and by school, make up the bulk of this series. These were written by supervising teachers representing the County Superintendent of Schools, or the Superintendents themselves after visits to schools. The main purpose of these reports was to describe the supervisors' observations of the teacher leading class lessons and activities, and offer a critique of teacher performance, curriculum, class behavior, and classroom set-up and decoration. Teacher names are recorded in these reports. Recommendations for purchases, library books, and building renovations or repairs are also described. Additionally, the reports record the attendance of students, broken down by age group.

In addition to documenting the supervisory process, these files give insight into the social organization of the classroom, including how educators were expected to teach, and how students were expected to learn and behave. Single room schools that include multiple student ages under the care of one teacher illustrate how the different educational expectations of each grade fit under the county curriculum. Additionally, reports often include notes about physical classroom layout, and the tools of teaching including how chalkboards were arranged and used, which books were present (or lacking) in the classroom, and the role that educational posters and student artwork were expected to play in class success.

These Supervisory Reports and their corresponding summaries and correspondences are organized in two different ways. One section of Supervisory Reports is arranged by date, 1953-1963, then alphabetically by school district or school name, and thereunder by town. The other section of the files include Supervisory Reports organized by school, 1954-1964, with correspondence intermixed. Although there is some overlap between reports organized by date and those organized by location, each method also contained some unique information. Therefore, both arrangements were retained.

Intermixed with the reports are documents, 1939-1958, from the State Department of Education. Some documents refer to the implementation of programs like the Special Milk Program, while others again summarize the recommendations made during supervisory observations. These documents are also addressed to school principals. Not all individual school district files contain documents from the Department of Education.

In addition to the Supervisory Reports, the series includes Supervisory Correspondence, 1939-1950, from the State Department of Education, and 1947, 1955-1965 from the Superintendent to the school boards or the heads of each school, as a follow-up to the supervisory observations. These letters summarize the reports and reiterate recommendations. Supervisory reports were also submitted to the State Superintendent of Schools.

The SUPERVISORY DUTIES files also contain Teaching and Curriculum Instructions, 1940-1942, 1945-1946, 1948-1949, which were distributed to teachers annually. These pamphlets contain mission statements, learning objectives, and directions for instruction.

The district-wide records include files on DISTRICT EVENTS, including brochures, pamphlets, and newspaper articles, 1945-1966. These events include commencement, county fairs, art contests, conventions, and spelling bees. Spelling bee materials include newspaper (Wisconsin State Journal) documentation about Kewaunee District students who made it to the National Bee in 1963-1964.

The SCHOOL RECORDS series, 1907-1963, contains school and class information and class photographs. It contains various materials associated with individual schools within the Kewaunee School District, and with individual classrooms within those schools.

One list, 1946-1947, contains teachers' names and their corresponding schools. Other documents list the number of students from each district in the 1907-1908 and 1921-1922 school years. Five volumes, circa 1924-1963, contain student information arranged alphabetically by school name. Entries for each school usually include class rosters listing students and their academic performance, pupils' dates of birth, grades in school, addresses, and names of parents. Volume 4, 1937-1940, also includes teacher name and curriculum, arranged by district and school.

Files containing student performance and supervisory visit notes range from 1954 through 1962. Aside from two general year files from 1954-1955, these records are organized by year and divided by school. Many individual school files contain notes from visits to the school, similar to those made by visitors from the office of the Superintendent of Schools, though it is unclear whether these notes were a part of that process. Notes from visits to the student teacher's college, Door-Kewaunee Laboratory School (also known as the Door-Kewaunee Cadet School), are included among the K-12 school notes.

The professional CLASS PHOTOGRAPHS, circa 1946-1965, are arranged alphabetically by school. Several undated, candid photos of students in the classroom are also included. These latter photos illustrate classroom layout and decoration, and suggest educational trends.

The TEACHER RECORDS series, 1925-1969, contains information regarding the training and licensing of teachers. Related to student teachers, the series includes student teacher's reports about Visiting Day, 1953-1957, in which teachers-in-training would visit schools and record their experiences and observations.

Other information about teacher training and qualifications, 1939-1963, is present in lists of teachers, which give teachers' educational history, type of school at which they received their education (rural or city), and the number of credits earned. Additional lists were presumably organized to indicate which teachers needed to reapply for permits, licenses, and certificates.

Actual certificates, licenses, and permits, 1942-1962, are also included within this series. The series contains correspondence, 1941-1959 relating to all the aforementioned topics, and particularly take place between potential teachers and the school officials facilitating hiring.

Series also includes the County Superintendent's overseeing of the Door-Kewaunee Cadet (student teacher) school, 1956-1960.

Teacher's Qualification and Experience records, circa 1927-1969, document the education, training, and past teaching experience of teachers accepted to teach within the Kewaunee School District. Cards are arranged alphabetically. The earliest dates refer to the years some teachers began teaching, but do not necessarily reflect the dates of the records themselves.

Records in this series reflect the demographics of teachers, especially during the mid-20th century, and illustrate the levels of education and training that were expected in the profession.

Acquisition Information

Accession Number: C2002/027

Kewaunee Series 80	Series: Administrative, 1947-1965
	Meeting agendas and notices, School Committees, 1959-1965
Box   1 Folder   1	School Committee minutes, 1959-1965
Box   1 Folder   2	Annoye School, 1964-1965
Box   1 Folder   3	Beech Grove School, 1965
Box   1 Folder   4	Cherneysville School, 1965
Box   1 Folder   5	Collegiate School, 1965
Box   1 Folder   6	Gallenberg School, 1965
Box   1 Folder   7	Kewaunee School, 1965
Box   1 Folder   8	Washington School, 1964
Box   1 Folder   9	Meeting minutes and agendas, County Board of Education, 1954, 1964-1965
	District planning, 1929-1964
Box   1 Folder   10	Master plan, 1937-1951
Box   1 Folder   11	Altered or created districts, 1961-1964
Oversize Folder   1	County district maps, 1929, 1951
	Annual reports, 1946-1965
Box   1 Folder   12	Teachers' annual reports, 1963-1964
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Annual reports to County Superintendent of Schools, 1963-1965
Box   2 Folder   3-5	Annual reports to County Superintendent of Schools, 1946-1965
Box   3 Folder   1-5	Administrative correspondence, circa 1953-1964, 1946-1965
	Series: Financial, 1906-1965	⇧
	Library and textbooks, 1906-1965
Box   4 Folder   1-7	Library book orders, 1906-1946
Box   4 Folder   8	Textbook lists, 1960-1965
Box   4 Folder   9	Victory tax information, 1943-1944
Box   4 Folder   10	Self evaluation data sheets for basic or integrated aids, 1961-1964
	Series: Supervisory Duties, 1939-1965	⇧
	Reports by date, 1953-1963
Box   5 Volume   1	Record of visits, 1953-1954
Box   5 Folder   1-8	1953-1958, 1961
Box   6 Folder   1-2	1962-1963
	Reports and correspondence by school, circa 1954-1964
Box   6 Folder   3	Ahnapee District No. 3 Kodan School
Box   6 Folder   4	Ahnapee District No. 4 Pleasant Hill School
Box   6 Folder   5	Ahnapee District No. 5 Woodrow Wilson School
Box   6 Folder   6	Ahnapee District No. 6 Riverside School
Box   6 Folder   7	Ahnapee District No. 7 Silver Creek School
Box   6 Folder   8	Ahnapee Joint District No. 2 Demonstration School
Box   6 Folder   9	Algoma High School
Box   6 Folder   10	Carlton District No. 1 Sandy Bay School
Box   6 Folder   11	Carlton Joint District No. 2 Carlton Graded School
Box   6 Folder   12	Carlton District No. 3 Carlton Elementary School
Box   6 Folder   13	Carlton District No. 4 Wayside School
Box   6 Folder   14	Carlton District No. 5 East Twin River School
Box   6 Folder   15	Carlton District No. 6 Norman School
Box   6 Folder   16	Casco District No. 1 Rosebud School
Box   6 Folder   17	Casco District No. 2 Slovan School
Box   6 Folder   18	Casco Joint District No. 3 Casco Graded School
Box   6 Folder   19	Casco Joint District No. 4 Rio Creek Graded School
Box   7 Folder   1	Casco Union High School
Box   7 Folder   2	Franklin District No. 1 Collegiate School
Box   7 Folder   3	Franklin District No. 3 Woodland School
Box   7 Folder   4	Franklin District No. 4 Bolt School
Box   7 Folder   5	Franklin District No. 5 Beech Grove School
Box   7 Folder   6	Franklin District No. 6 Whittier School
Box   7 Folder   7	Kewaunee Union High School
Box   7 Folder   8	Lincoln District No. 1 Liberty School
Box   7 Folder   9	Lincoln District No. 3 Lincoln School
Box   7 Folder   10	Lincoln District No. 4 Lafayette School
Box   7 Folder   11	Lincoln District No. 5 Gregor School
Box   7 Folder   12	Lincoln Joint. District No. 1 Lincoln Graded School
Box   7 Folder   13	Lincoln Joint. District No. 2 Rosiere Graded School
Box   7 Folder   14	Luxemberg Joint. District No. 2 Hawthorne School
Box   7 Folder   15	Luxemberg District No. 3. Walhain School
Box   7 Folder   16	Luxemberg District No. 4 Garfield School
Box   7 Folder   17	Luxemberg Joint. District No. 4 Lowell School
Box   7 Folder   18	Montpelier - La Follette School
Box   7 Folder   19	Montpelier District No. 2 La Follette School
Box   7 Folder   20	Montpelier District No. 4 Jefferson School
Box   8 Folder   1	Montpelier District No. 5 Cherneysville School
Box   8 Folder   2	Montpelier District No. 6 Pilsen Graded School
Box   8 Folder   3	Pierce Joint District No. 1 Alaska Graded School
Box   8 Folder   4	Red River District No. 1 Washington School
Box   8 Folder   5	Red River District No. 3 Bay View School
Box   8 Folder   6	Red River District No. 5 Saint Sauveur School
Box   8 Folder   7	Red River District No. 6 Duvall Graded School
Box   8 Folder   8	Red River Joint District No. 1 McKinley School
Box   8 Folder   9	Red River Joint District No. 2 Martinville School
Box   8 Folder   10	Red River Joint District No. 3 High View School
Box   8 Folder   11	Smithwick Special School
Box   8 Folder   12	Correspondence from State Department of Education, 1939-1950
Box   8 Folder   13-14	Correspondence from County Superintendent of Schools, 1947, 1955-1965, 1964
Box   8 Folder   15	Teaching and curriculum instructions, 1940-1942, 1945-1946, 1948-1949
	Series: District Events, 1945-1966	⇧
Box   9 Folder   1-2	Fair lists, 1957-1966
Box   9 Folder   3	Helen Mears Art Contest
Box   9 Folder   4	School Board conventions, 1945-1950
Box   9 Folder   5-6	Kewaunee County school bulletins, 1959-1963
Box   9 Folder   7	Commencement programs, 1938-1965
Box   9 Folder   8	Spelling bee, circa 1958-1965
Box   10 Folder   1-3	Spelling bee, 1958-1966
	Series: School Records, 1907-1963	⇧
Box   10 Folder   4	School and teacher list, 1946-1947
Box   10 Folder   5	Number of students by district, 1907-1908, 1921-1922
	Student information and performance, 1924-1963
Box   10 Volume   1	circa 1924-1927
Box   10 Volume   2	circa 1931-1932
Box   10 Volume   3	circa 1934-1937
Box   11 Volume   4	1937-1940
Box   11 Volume   5	1955-1963
	Student performance and supervisory notes, 1954-1962
Box   11 Folder   1-2	Untitled, 1954-1955
Box   12 Folder   1	Alaska-Demonstration Schools, 1955-1956
Box   12 Folder   2	Duvall-Pilsen Schools, 1955-1956
Box   12 Folder   3	Rio-Woodside Schools, 1955-1956
Box   12 Folder   4	Alaska-Duvall Schools, 1956-1957
Box   12 Folder   5	East Twin River-Pilsen Schools, 1956-1957
Box   12 Folder   6	Riverside-Woodside Schools, 1956-1957
Box   12 Folder   7	Alaska-Collegiate Schools, 1957-1958
Box   12 Folder   8	Door-Kewaunee Laboratory School, 1957-1958 Note: (Teacher's College)-LaFayette School
Box   12 Folder   9	La Follette-Smithwick Schools, 1957-1958
Box   12 Folder   10	Walhain-Woodside Schools, 1957-1958
Box   12 Folder   11	Alaska-Duvall Schools, 1958-1959
Box   12 Folder   12	East Twin River-Liberty Schools, 1958-1959
Box   13 Folder   1	Lincoln-San Saveur Schools, 1958-1959
Box   13 Folder   2	Slovan-Woodside Schools, 1958-1959
Box   13 Folder   3	Alaska-Door-Kewaunee Laboratory Schools, 1959-1960
Box   13 Folder   4	Duvall-La Follette Schools, 1959-1960
Box   13 Folder   5	Liberty-Rosiere Schools, 1959-1960
Box   13 Folder   6	Rosebud-Woodside Schools, 1959-1960
Box   13 Folder   7	Alaska-Collegiate Schools, 1960-1961
Box   13 Folder   8	Duvall-Liberty Schools, 1960-1961
Box   13 Folder   9	Lincoln-Rosiere Schools, 1960-1961
Box   13 Folder   10	Sandy Bay-Woodside Schools, 1960-1961
Box   13 Folder   11	Alaska-Door-Kewaunee Laboratory Schools, 1961-1962
Box   13 Folder   12	Duvall-Lincoln Schools, 1961-1962
Box   13 Folder   13	Lowell-Rosiere Schools, 1961-1962
Box   13 Folder   14	Sandy Bay-Woodside Schools, 1961-1962
	Series: Class Photographs, 1946-1965	⇧
Box   14 Folder   1	Alaska School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   2	Beech Grove School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   3	Ben Franklin School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   4	Belt School, 1960-1962
Box   14 Folder   5	Carlton School, 1957-1965
Box   14 Folder   6	Cherneysville School, 1959-1961
Box   14 Folder   7	Collegiate School, undated
Box   14 Folder   8	Duvall School, 1961
Box   14 Folder   9	East Twin School, 1959-1962
Box   14 Folder   10	Garfield School, 1959-1963
Box   14 Folder   11	Gregor School, 1961-1963
Box   14 Folder   12	Hawthorne School, 1946-1961
Box   14 Folder   13	High View School, undated
Box   14 Folder   14	Jefferson School, 1958-1959
Box   14 Folder   15	Kodan School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   16	Lafayette School, 1959-1961
Box   14 Folder   17	La Follette School, 1957-1961
Box   14 Folder   18	Liberty School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   19	Lincoln School, 1959-1965
Box   14 Folder   20	Lowell School, undated
Box   14 Folder   21	Luxemburg School, 1958-1960
Box   14 Folder   22	Martinville School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   23	McKinley School, 1962
Box   14 Folder   24	Norman School, 1964-1965
Box   14 Folder   25	Pathfinder School, 1958-1959
Box   14 Folder   26	Pilsen School, 1957-1964
Box   14 Folder   27	Rio Creek School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   28	Rosebud School, 1959-1963
Box   14 Folder   29	Sandy Bay School, 1965
Box   14 Folder   30	San Saveur, 1961
Box   14 Folder   31	Slovan School, 1962-1964
Box   14 Folder   32	Washington School, 1959-1961
Box   14 Folder   33	Walhain School, circa 1959
Box   14 Folder   34	Wayside School, 1959-1965
Box   14 Folder   35	Woodland School, 1959
Box   14 Folder   36	Woodside School, 1958-1962
Box   14 Folder   37	Kewaunee District School, unidentified
	Series: Teacher Records, 1925-1969	⇧
Box   14 Folder   38	Visiting day, 1953-1957
Box   14 Folder   39	Semester hours, 1952-1961
Box   14 Folder   40	Teacher training and experience, 1939-1963
Box   14 Folder   41	Certificates, licenses, and permits, 1942-1960
Box   14 Folder   42	Correspondence regarding certificates, 1941-1959
Box   14 Folder   43	Door-Kewaunee cadet [student teacher] supervision, 1956-1960
Box   15	Qualification and experience, 1927-1969