Social And Educational Effects Of Consolidation On The Steber Grove Community In Rusk County

INTRODUCTION Many arguments have been presented both pro and eon with regard to the mal-effects and benefits of consolidation on the communities from which the schools have been moved# In this study an attempt has been made to fathom out reactions mid effects in one such area after a few years of consolidation. General Setting The locale of this problem has been confined to the colored Crossroads Common School District in Rusk County. I ore specifically to the Steber Grove Community from which in 1945 the local school was removed. Statement of the Problem In this study an effort has been made to ascertain some of the major effects of the moving of schools from the smaller communities to the more centralized locations# Answers to the following questions were sought: 1. Were the patrons in favor of the move originally? 2. Has the moving of the school caused community spirit to wane? 3. Do the parents and teachers cooperate with each other as well as before the move? 4. Was there any improvement in the school plant, mode of getting to school, and the general educational situation? 5, What is the general attitude of the patrons of the community from which the school has been moved after four terms of consolidation? Delimitation This problem was concerned chiefly with attitudes and little interest was taken n in the actual instructional situations. Inquiries were limited to those persons who had been members of the community for ten (10) years or more# This was done in ord r to get the opinions of those persons who had had a greater opportunity to observe both situations at close hand and thus add more authenticity to the study