Children of Czech immigrants: Education and acculturation in Cleveland, Ohio, 1920--1940

There has been a paucity of research involving specific immigrant groups' educational and acculturation experiences in the Cleveland area. This study utilizes oral histories obtained from the children of Czech immigrants to reconstruct their educational and acculturation experiences in the Cleveland, Ohio, area schools. The focus of the study is the inter-World War period, 1920-1940. The inquiry chronicles the historical background of Czech immigration to the United States, describes national and local patterns of Czech immigration, discusses the nature of Czech acculturation, investigates the Czech educational experience, and analyzes the use of oral histories as an investigative tool.; The questions considered are: (1) What was the nature of Czech community and family life? (2) What factors shaped and/or affected the acculturation of the Czech children to the main culture? (3) What role did the schools play in the children's acculturation? (4) How does the public school experience of the children of Czech immigrants compare to the parochial school experience of the children of Czech immigrants?; The research utilizes the documentation provided by interviews to reconstruct the individuals' experiences during 1920-1940. However, the use of primary and secondary sources, including newspapers from the era, census information, and local Czech immigrant accounts circa 1920, enriches the information gathered in the oral histories, leading to a fuller understanding of the recounted experiences and the phenomena studied. This investigation provides a basis for the comparison of the educational and acculturation experiences of the children of Czech immigrants in the northeastern Ohio area. It potentially serves as a basis for comparison to disparate immigrant groups in the same geographical area.