Rural School Program: Red Oak Schools, 1937

This collection contains correspondence between the Georgia State Department of Education and the Julius Rosenwald Fund regarding the establishment of a two-teacher rural school in Red Oak, Georgia. The letters detail tentative plans for launching the school, teacher appointments, student enrollment data, and salary payments for Miss Juanita Reddick and Miss Larnie Johnson. They also address the condition and repair needs of the teacherage and updates on the construction of the Rosenwald cottage at Red Oak. Included in the collection is a three-page tentative plan outlining life-related educational activities for the Red Oak two-teacher rural school. It also features a document titled “An Experiment in Enrichment of Rural Living through Education” by Catherine Watkins Duncan, which reflects on her experiences at Red Oak and explores how the model could be replicated to enhance rural education in similar communities. Additionally, the collection contains excerpts from The Little Red School House magazine, which recounts the origins of the Red Oak News, and a copy of a children’s book titled “Soil, Our Best Friend,” written by Miss Larnie Johnson for second and third grade students at Red Oak School during the 1937–1938 school year. Key figures mentioned in this collection include Mr. L. M. Lester, Mrs. Margaret S. Simon, Mrs. Hugh J. Turner, Mr. James F. Simon, and Mrs. Henrietta L. Turner.