Pioneering Higher Education in East Texas

Duane's take

The official marker's the source here, and I'm just the one lucky enough to tell it. Now, if you ever wonder how a region holds itself together when the schoolhouse door stays shut, East Texas can tell you something about that. The story starts with an absence.

No institution of higher learning to train teachers. None. In the early twentieth century, that gap was obvious to just about anybody paying attention.

So what did they do? They patched. Normal institutes, ad hoc college courses, stopgap measures scattered across the state, trying to bring the educational level of teachers up in rural school systems.

It was important work, but it was never quite enough. Then in 1909, the Legislature decided to abolish the community school system altogether in favor of public school systems. You can imagine what that did to demand.

More students, more classrooms, and still not enough trained teachers to fill them. The Legislature moved in 1915. They authorized the placement of a normal college east of the ninety-sixth meridian.

That sounds decisive, and it was meant to be. But legislative difficulties, sectional friction, political headwinds, all of it conspired to delay the charters until 1917. And the funding?

That didn't come through until 1921. By then, Texas had passed the compulsory education law for children and the certification law for teachers. Both at once.

You want to talk about pressure building, that is it right there. Suddenly every child had to be in a classroom, and every teacher had to be certified to stand in front of one. And the numbers told a hard story.

In the rural districts of Texas, twenty-four percent of public school teachers had not completed high school. Twenty-two percent had normal college training. Thirteen percent were graduates of other college and university programs.

Do the arithmetic in your head and you'll understand why this region needed something real, something permanent. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College opened in 1923.

President Alton W. Birdwell selected the faculty himself, twenty-four instructors. The majority of their degrees came from Texas universities, but major national institutions were represented among them too.

And the students, the vast majority came from East Texas, particularly from the counties surrounding Nacogdoches, young men and women who had grown up knowing that a proper education was a long way off. Those early faculty, staff, and students did something that doesn't happen overnight and can't be undone easily once it's done. They transformed teaching into a profession in East Texas.

They made education an attainable goal in the region. They laid the foundation. That's not a small thing to say about a place that started with an absence.

What the marker says

The absence of an institution of higher learning to train teachers in East Texas became obvious in the early 20th century. "Normal institutes" or ad hoc college courses were important statewide attempts to supplement the educational level of the teachers in rural school systems. The Legislature's decision in 1909 to abolish the community school system in favor of public school systems further increased demand for trained teachers. To address the needs of the east Texas region, the Legislature in 1915 authorized the placement of a normal college east of the 96th meridian. Legislative, sectional, and political difficulties delayed the charters until 1917. By the time the schools were funded in 1921, the state had passed the compulsory education law for children and the certification law for teachers, creating a huge demand for educated instructors in Texas. In the rural districts of Texas, 24% of public school teachers had not completed high school, 22% had normal college training, and 13% were graduates of other college and university programs. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College opened in 1923. The faculty consisted of 24 instructors selected by President Alton W. Birdwell. The majority of the educators' degrees came from Texas universities, but other major national institutions were represented. The vast majority of students came from east Texas, particularly the counties surrounding Nacogdoches. The early faculty, staff, and students of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College transformed teaching into a profession in east Texas while making education an attainable goal in the region. These men and women laid the foundation for public education in east Texas. (1999)