The Introduction of the Revised Course of Study in African-American Schools in Virginia, USA, in the 1930s

Abstract

This study examines the process and debate surrounding the introduction of statewide curriculum reform in African-American schools in Virginia in the 1930s, based on an analysis of trends in African-American educational organizations at the time. Previous research argue that Virginia’s curriculum theory at the time was based on social adaptation. However, few empirical studies have examined whether the Virginia Plan promoted social adaptation. This paper focuses on African-American education, which is often seen as the subject of social adaptation.

It can be concluded that after its introduction in African-American schools, the Virginia Plan followed a complex process unlike the typical social adaptation model. First, the State Board of Education and the African-American Advisory Committee had diverse views on “Negro needs,” and the Committee’s ideas were only partially reflected in the State Course of Study. Second, regarding the implementation of the Virginia Plan, there was momentum in African-American communities to examine and share educational practices, and discussions on improving the educational environment for African Americans simultaneously gained traction. Third, when classroom development within the black community became more active, the practice of confronting social issues related to racial segregation, as called for by the Advisory Committee, was also observed in some cases.

Based on the above, it can be said that the attempts at a voluntary curriculum development movement based on the needs of children, as required by the Virginia Plan, encouraged the development and implementation of educational practices that had the potential to address social issues (as required by the Advisory Committee) for blacks as a minority group.