The Eau Claire County Superintendent of Schools Records are arranged into two main series: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, 1874-1965, and RECORDS OF COUNTY SCHOOLS, 1873-1990.
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS primarily document the Superintendent's duties to report to state and county officials, issue certificates to pupils completing the course of study, examine, license and supervise teachers in the district system, and in general manage the county school system.
Reports to and from the Superintendent span 1882-1964 and provide information and statistics about individual schools as well as the school system as a whole. Census tabulation sheets (1916-1959) identify school districts and corresponding towns and provide statistics on student enrollment for each district. For some time periods the tabulation sheets may have been used to compile the school censuses which were filed with the Annual Reports.
Reports from towns to the County Superintendent consist of two volumes of county school information compiled by the Superintendent's office (1882-1886). The volumes list schools by township name and district number and provide names of clerks and teachers, enrollment statistics, and dates of visits by the County Superintendent. One file folder contains Annual Reports completed by towns and submitted to the County Superintendent. These Annual Reports provide enrollment statistics and information compiled in the census tabulation sheets and only cover 1912.
Reports from the County Superintendent to the State (1889-1964) include school censuses, enrollment and attendance statistics, reports on teachers' experience and salaries, and financial statements.
Reports of County Superintendent to the County Board (1920-1961) are annual reports that include descriptions of achievements, updates, challenges and problems in the county schools, educational programs and activities, and statistical summaries (enrollment and census, teacher salaries, income and expense reports).
In the Annual Reports of the County Traveling Library (1947-1961), the County Superintendent provides the County Board with library updates, circulation and inventory statistics, and information on employees.
Other material in the ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS series includes programs from events held at the school(s) or otherwise related to the district (circa 1938-1940, 1969); photos of the Superintendent and School Board (1943-1983); and a County School Board attendance book (1909-1921) listing people who attended Teachers' Institute meetings and School Board Conventions and distinguishing participants according to township and school district number.
Correspondence includes a letterbook volume of outgoing correspondence (1892-1903) and two file folders of General Correspondence with outgoing and incoming letters. The correspondence file folder for 1940-1954 relates primarily to student attendance and residence.
In the School Consolidation records, the Information and Forms folder (1956-1962) contains statistical, financial, and narrative information used to divide assets of school districts.
Pupil Records provide information on individual students within the district, 1883-1965. Researchers seeking information about an individual should determine the student's years of attendance and consult appropriate records for additional information. The Eighth Grade Graduation Cards (circa 1932-1965, described in more detail below) are organized alphabetically by pupils' surnames and can provide dates of attendance. The Record of Pupil Exams (1883-1915) and the Pupil Exam Book (1920-1922) contain the student's name, age, township, exam grades and date of diploma. Two Student Grade Books for 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders (1916-1919 and 1926-1931) contain township name and school district number, teacher's name, student name and age, and student grades with teacher comments. Eighth Grade Graduate Rosters (1927-1965) list graduates for the year by township and school, and for a few years include grades earned or additional information about the students. More comprehensive information about eighth grade graduates can be found in the Eighth Grade Graduation Cards (circa 1932-1965) which contain the student's name and age or date of birth, parents' names, address, and date of graduation. Some of these cards also provide information about the student's grades and other remarks. Pupil Records (1942-1943) contain a roster of school district officers, teacher's contact information, names of graduating eighth graders, and budget and financial summaries. Pupil records are listed on the contents list by beginning date of each item.
The Teacher Information folder contains a volume (1874-1875) of certificates issued, exam grades, names of hired teachers, wages, and terms of employment. The folder also contains a Guide to Teachers Handbook (1955-1956) containing program and curriculum information, policies and administration information, and a list of approved text books.
Supervision of Teacher records also include teacher exam and certificate information in volumes, cards, papers, and stub books. Teacher Certificates Granted (1876-1881) and Records of Teacher Exams (1882-1904, 1892-1897, and 1909-1915) are volumes that contain names and ages of applicants for teaching certification, grades, and dates of certification. The Record of Teacher Exams for 1884 contains the same information in a file folder. Teacher Service Records (circa 1910-1950) are cards that provide the teacher's name, date of birth, marital status, race, educational background, certification status, and teaching experience. Teacher Service Records (circa 1927-1965) are cards that provide the teacher's name, schools in which they taught, years of employment, and grade levels and/or subject matter taught. Teacher Exams (1886-1904 and 1905-1938) are the Superintendent's copy of the teaching certificate information (often referred to as stub books) retained after the formal certificate was presented to the new teacher. Data includes the teacher's name, age, address, exam grades, and information about the grade level and subject matter they were certified to teach and for what length of time. Stub books are organized by date of certification and are not alphabetical by the teacher's last name. Researchers are encouraged to find out the approximate date/s of teaching or certification before navigating the stub books. The Teacher Service Records, circa 1927-1965, are organized alphabetically by teacher's surname and can provide dates of employment.
The series of COUNTY SCHOOL RECORDS (1873-1990) contains records from a small number of schools in the county. Typical types of records are school board minutes, financial records, reports, and registers. School registers generally contain pupil names, grades, and attendance records. Some also include the teacher's daily program of study, visitor log, and state reading circle records. The Town of Washington District #3 Lowes School records also include newsletters, directories and handbooks, slides and photographs, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) minutes, and a guestbook and commemorative program.
