Prior to the opening of William H. Spencer High School in 1930, the highest level of public education that Columbus, Georgia, provided for its black students was nine years of industrial schooling that was designed to prepare them for jobs as manual laborers or domestic workers. The process which led to the development of Spencer High School was complex and protracted and involved a variety of organizations and individuals, but the major impetus for the building of the school came from three sources. These include consistent pressure from black community leaders, the growth of the city's black population, and the involvement of nationally-known philanthropists who were interested in educational reform. In many ways, the story of the development of secondary education for black students in Columbus reflects changes that were occurring at the same time in the state of Georgia and throughout other southern states.
","abstract_html":"<p>Prior to the opening of William H. Spencer High School in 1930, the highest level of public education that Columbus, Georgia, provided for its black students was nine years of industrial schooling that was designed to prepare them for jobs as manual laborers or domestic workers. The process which led to the development of Spencer High School was complex and protracted and involved a variety of organizations and individuals, but the major impetus for the building of the school came from three sources. These include consistent pressure from black community leaders, the growth of the city's black population, and the involvement of nationally-known philanthropists who were interested in educational reform. In many ways, the story of the development of secondary education for black students in Columbus reflects changes that were occurring at the same time in the state of Georgia and throughout other southern states.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Matthews, Becky"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Specialist in Education","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Bob Henderson","Dr. Craig Lloyd","Dr. John Lupold"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1990,"date_issued":"1990-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1990-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:45:18Z","subjects":["William H. Spencer High School","Columbus Georgia","Black Students","Educational Reform","Secondary Education for Black Students","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Disability and Equity in Education","Secondary Education"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/649","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Bob Henderson","Dr. Craig Lloyd","Dr. John Lupold"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Matthews, Becky"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Specialist in Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["William H. Spencer High School","Columbus Georgia","Black Students","Educational Reform","Secondary Education for Black Students","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Disability and Equity in Education","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/649"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prior to the opening of William H. Spencer High School in 1930, the highest level of public education that Columbus, Georgia, provided for its black students was nine years of industrial schooling that was designed to prepare them for jobs as manual laborers or domestic workers. The process which led to the development of Spencer High School was complex and protracted and involved a variety of organizations and individuals, but the major impetus for the building of the school came from three sources. These include consistent pressure from black community leaders, the growth of the city's black population, and the involvement of nationally-known philanthropists who were interested in educational reform. In many ways, the story of the development of secondary education for black students in Columbus reflects changes that were occurring at the same time in the state of Georgia and throughout other southern states.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Development of Secondary Education for Black Students in Columbus, Georgia 1920-1930"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Bob Henderson","Dr. Craig Lloyd","Dr. John Lupold"],"dc:creator":["Matthews, Becky"],"dc:description.abstract":["Prior to the opening of William H. Spencer High School in 1930, the highest level of public education that Columbus, Georgia, provided for its black students was nine years of industrial schooling that was designed to prepare them for jobs as manual laborers or domestic workers. The process which led to the development of Spencer High School was complex and protracted and involved a variety of organizations and individuals, but the major impetus for the building of the school came from three sources. These include consistent pressure from black community leaders, the growth of the city's black population, and the involvement of nationally-known philanthropists who were interested in educational reform. In many ways, the story of the development of secondary education for black students in Columbus reflects changes that were occurring at the same time in the state of Georgia and throughout other southern states.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/649"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["William H. Spencer High School","Columbus Georgia","Black Students","Educational Reform","Secondary Education for Black Students","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Disability and Equity in Education","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["The Development of Secondary Education for Black Students in Columbus, Georgia 1920-1930"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Specialist in Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:45:18Z"}