Blackwell History of Education Collection: Country School Conference

Country School Association of America

The Country School Association of America was established at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, in June of 2006. The mission of the CSAA is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of country schools and country schooling. Each year, members host a conference that brings together individuals (museum staff, volunteers, teachers / faculty / students, preservationists, historians, and interested citizens) to exchange ideas and resources.

The 8th Annual School Conference

The 2008 Country School Association of American Conference will take place on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on June 16 and 17 with an optional tour on June 18 to several one-room schools in the Oxford area. A trip to the William Holmes McGuffey Museum will be a highlight of the three-day conference that draws participants from across the United States.

See the CSAA web site for more information.

The 7th Annual School Conference

The Country School Conference was held at Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire from June 18 to June 20, 2007. People were invited to attend the event where a wide range of topics was explored, for example: preservations of country schools, programs for country schools, country school research and scholarship, and memories and artifacts from country schools. This conference was proved to be even better than the last.

The 6th Annual School Conference:

In June 2006, over people met at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL to attend the Sixth Annual Country School Conference, sponsored by the Blackwell History of Education Museum and the DeKalb County Historical-Genealogical Society. Docents in costume gave demonstrations of activities in their country school museums, and authors discussed their articles and books. In addition, two teachers presented a videotape of life in and around their island school located off the coast of Maine. Among the other topics addressed were the restoration and preservation of country schools, country-school programs for public enjoyment and living history instruction, individual and collective histories of country schools, and the current pedagogical uses of country schools.

Keynote speaker Marcia Wilson concluded the program of over 50 presentations by discussing her leadership of some 20 local historians in the study of the 160 one-room schools in DeKalb County, and published in Rural School Journeys: A legacy of Learning (2006). The audience then voted to establish a national society, The Country School Association of America, to be based at Northern Illinois University. As a final activity, conference participants toured DeKalb County to visit school sites and homes that formerly served as country schools.

Thresholds in Education

The articles included in Thresholds were presented and submitted for publication at the 1st and 6th Annual Country School Conferences, held in 2001 and 2006 at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. Space in the journal is limited; hence, a board of reviewers evaluated the articles and selected those they believed to be of greatest interest.

School Names, Locations and Links to One Room Schools on College Campuses

19th Century Schoolbooks

		Home About the Blackwell Blackwell Staff News One Room School Cool Artifacts Neat Books Educational Materials Product Information Research Catalog Search Links Journal Articles AECT Historical Collection Country School Association of America Educating Women	Country School Association of America The Country School Association of America was established at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, in June of 2006. The mission of the CSAA is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of country schools and country schooling. Each year, members host a conference that brings together individuals (museum staff, volunteers, teachers / faculty / students, preservationists, historians, and interested citizens) to exchange ideas and resources. The 8th Annual School Conference The 2008 Country School Association of American Conference will take place on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on June 16 and 17 with an optional tour on June 18 to several one-room schools in the Oxford area. A trip to the William Holmes McGuffey Museum will be a highlight of the three-day conference that draws participants from across the United States. See the CSAA web site for more information. The 7th Annual School Conference The Country School Conference was held at Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire from June 18 to June 20, 2007. People were invited to attend the event where a wide range of topics was explored, for example: preservations of country schools, programs for country schools, country school research and scholarship, and memories and artifacts from country schools. This conference was proved to be even better than the last. The 6th Annual School Conference: In June 2006, over people met at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL to attend the Sixth Annual Country School Conference, sponsored by the Blackwell History of Education Museum and the DeKalb County Historical-Genealogical Society. Docents in costume gave demonstrations of activities in their country school museums, and authors discussed their articles and books. In addition, two teachers presented a videotape of life in and around their island school located off the coast of Maine. Among the other topics addressed were the restoration and preservation of country schools, country-school programs for public enjoyment and living history instruction, individual and collective histories of country schools, and the current pedagogical uses of country schools. Keynote speaker Marcia Wilson concluded the program of over 50 presentations by discussing her leadership of some 20 local historians in the study of the 160 one-room schools in DeKalb County, and published in Rural School Journeys: A legacy of Learning (2006). The audience then voted to establish a national society, The Country School Association of America, to be based at Northern Illinois University. As a final activity, conference participants toured DeKalb County to visit school sites and homes that formerly served as country schools. Thresholds in Education The articles included in Thresholds were presented and submitted for publication at the 1st and 6th Annual Country School Conferences, held in 2001 and 2006 at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. Space in the journal is limited; hence, a board of reviewers evaluated the articles and selected those they believed to be of greatest interest. School Names, Locations and Links to One Room Schools on College Campuses 19th Century Schoolbooks E-mail questions and comments to the Blackwell Museum (blackwell@niu.edu) Copyright © 1999. Northern Illinois University. All rights reserved.