General Education Board.—Because of the large sums controlled by this board and its wide influence upon the education of the country as a whole, it is important to outline its attitude toward Negro education. The report just issued by the Bureau of Education describes the attitude and works of the General Education Board in establishing some of the more recent movements in the improvement of the colored schools and communities. Among the more important of these are State supervisors of Negro rural schools, cooperation with other agencies, home-makers clubs for girls and farm demonstration works. Most of these movements have been carried on either directly or indirectly with the schools. In describing these more recent movements in Negro education, the report says:
“The guiding principal of the General Education Board in all its efforts in behalf of Negro education is cooperation, first of all with public authorities and second, with agencies that are thoroughly constructive in purpose. The secretaries are men of ability and foresight. The work and influence of Dr. Wallace Buttrick have been especially notable. The policies of the board are based upon a study both of educational facilities and community needs.”
Its activities have included the improvement of country life through farm demonstration agents and boys’ and girls’ clubs in such projects as the cultivation and canning of vegetables; encouraging secondary schools to adapt their program to the needs of democratic society; and aiding colleges and universities to increase their efficiency and broaden their curriculum so as to provide adequate emphasis on modern problems. These undertakings have been conducted with statesmanship and a real regard for the welfare of democracy. While the sum spent on educational efforts in behalf of Negroes forms but a comparatively small part of the total appropriations made by the board, the activities encouraged or maintained have been effective in the development of cooperation with the public school authorities, and in the improvement of both private and public schools for Negroes.
Perhaps the most important form of cooperation on the part of the General Education Board in behalf of Negro education, is with the State departments of public instruction in the appointment and support of State supervisors of Negro schools. Ten Southern States have made such appointments. These supervisors are capable of Southern white men who are devoting their energy with much success to the advancement of Negro schools. Their efforts have already resulted in small but significant increases in public appropriations, a better attitude toward Negro education, and greater cooperation between public and private institutions.
Another important contribution of the General Education Board has been correlation of effort with private funds, church boards, and individual institutions. The Jeanes fund has received financial aid and encouragement in the excellent work of placing industrial supervisors and teachers in many counties throughout the Southern States. The Slater fund has been similarly assisted in the development of the county training schools. In the study of Negro education, the agents of the Phelps-Stokes fund not only had access to the board’s valuable records, but were enabled to call upon the board’s representatives for information and counsel. Church boards of education and individual schools have received substantial appropriations from the board and valuable suggestions on educational method from its educational experts.
Homemakers’ clubs have been formed in a number of Southern States. These clubs are composed of colored girls who are taught the essentials of rural homemaking, including the cultivation of a garden and the canning of fruits and vegetables. The movement has been very successful in the inculcation of sound ideas of sanitation, thrift and morality. Hundreds of clubs have been formed under the general direction of the State supervisors, and the more immediate care of the Jeanes fund county teachers. Under the provisions of the Smith-Lever Act some Federal funds are also being spent for this purpose.
The farm demonstration movement is undoubtedly the most important educational effort which the General Education Board has encouraged for the improvement of white and colored people. While the influence of the movement has been primarily among white farmers, its future possibilities for the colored people are so significant that a description of the plan must be included herein. The purpose of the movement is the increase of the productivity of the soil. The plan was originated by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp about 1903, in order to enable the farmers of Texas to combat the ravages of the bollweevil. The fundamental element in the plan is Dr. Knapp’s principle that the most effective way of teaching good farming is to prevail upon one farmer in every neighborhood to cultivate an acre of his land according to scientific methods of agriculture. The effect of such a plan has been that the farmer with the demonstration acre extends the plan to the remainder of his farm and the neighboring farms soon follow his example. It has been shown that such an experimental plan is much more effective than the distribution of printed matter or even explanations by traveling lecturers.
When the remarkable possibilities of this simple method had been demonstrated, the General Education Board entered into cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture to extend the movement throughout the Southern States and especially in the section suffering from the bollweevil. As a result of this cooperation, begun in 1906, the board made increasing appropriations each year until the sum for 1913–1914 had become $252,000. In that year the Federal Government also appropriated $375,000, and the States and counties gave approximately $400,000. In 1915, further cooperation was prohibited by Congress, but in recognition of the value of the work, the Federal appropriation was considerably increased.
The economic and educational significance of the farm demonstration movement is now gradually being understood. Committees have lifted themselves out of poverty. Schools and churches and roads have been built. The general average of community welfare has been elevated in many rural districts. Schoolmen have been impressed with the value of actual demonstration in instruction and school methods are requiring that pupils shall “learn to do by doing.”
Carnegie Foundation.—The interest of Mr. Carnegie in Negro education is well known. His gifts have been large and significant. The activities of the Carnegie Foundation, however, have been such that little systematic study could be devoted to Negro education. Many educational leaders have expressed the hope that the perplexing problems of educating the 10,000,000 Negroes may receive the counsel and aid of the Carnegie Foundation. Many schools, however, have received large gifts from the Foundation, and from Mr. Carnegie. Several schools have splendid libraries as the result of these gifts.