The constructed world of postwar Philadelphia area schools: Site selection, architecture, and the landscape of inequality

The site selection and architecture of new public and parochial school buildings exerted a profound yet underappreciated impact on Philadelphia and its suburbs after World War II. This dissertation seeks to place schools into the historiography of cities and suburbs, enhancing our understanding of the evolution of civic engagement with schools and the racial dynamics of the post war city. Education took place in multiple sites, from aging parish schools to sparkling suburban high schools, from fortress like settings of concrete and wire to ranch-style buildings set amidst acres of playing fields; making sense of the creation of these buildings and the impact on urban and suburban culture offers a serious contribution to both education and American history. The hardening geography of schools has undermined a wide range of attempted reforms. Indeed, the bureaucratic practices of local schools and district leaders have fueled the inertia created by the spatial location of schools, further isolating children and etching inequality into the educational landscape. Addressing school construction through a close analysis of the records of public and parochial schools, the civic groups that challenged new school locations, and demographic data, demonstrates how decisions about school construction continue to influence the quality of American education