Citizens Schools Committee, 1933--1981: An historical study of a school reform movement

The study was designed to examine the contributions that the Citizens Schools Committee made to public education in Chicago from 1933--1981. The Citizens Schools Committee was originally formed in July 1933 as the Citizens Save Our Schools Committee to protest cuts in programs and services in the public school system. The Citizens Save Our Schools Committee which was both a citizens group and a slogan, established as an emergency effort, in January 1934 reorganized on a permanent basis, opened a membership drive, adopted bylaws and was chartered as the Citizens Schools Committee. The Citizens Schools Committee was an advocate for social and educational reforms and improvements in the Chicago Public Schools.The committee was basically a middle-class organization with support from the reform minded civic and social clubs, social service agencies, churches and universities in the city. The committee's lack of political clout, as well as gender, professional, occupational and ethnic heterogeneity, however, limited its power.The study explored the dynamics of a special interest group as well as it provided insight into the dynamics of public education in Chicago between 1933 and 1981. Within the context of the research, the relationships between the Citizens Schools Committee, the Chicago Board of Education, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago politics were explored, as well as the influences of earlier and latter-day leaders of the Citizens Schools Committee. In addition, to examining the Citizens Schools Committee during this time period, the study also briefly chronicled the financial and political background of Chicago and its school system from 1833 through 1932 in order to establish a historical framework from which the writer could trace the developments that led to the formation of the Citizens Schools Committee.Documentary research was the procedure used in gathering data for the study. The primary sources examined for the study were the Citizens Schools Committee Collection located in the Chicago Historical Society and the private files of a former committee secretary. In addition, daily newspapers, Chicago Board of Education proceedings and annual reports were valuable resources in documenting the history of the Citizens Schools Committee. Selected books, articles, dissertations, and theses related to school reform, Chicago Public Schools and Chicago politics comprised the secondary sources for the study.