William Frantz Public School: One School, One Century, Many Stories

Authors

  • Connie Lynn Schaffer University of Nebraska at Omaha
  • Corine Meredith Brown Rowan University
  • Meg White Stockton University
  • Martha Graham Viator Rowan University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20355/jcie29344

Abstract

William Frantz Public School (WFPS) in New Orleans, Louisiana, played a significant role in the story of desegregation in public K-12 education in the United States. This story began in 1960 when first-grader, Ruby Bridges, surrounded by federal marshals, climbed the steps to enroll as the school’s first Black student. Yet many subsequent stories unfolded within WFPS and offer an opportunity to open the discourse regarding systemic questions facing present-day United States public education - racial integration, accountability, and increasing support for charter schools. In this article, these stories are told first in the context of WFPS and then are connected to parallels found in other schools in New Orleans as well as other urban areas in the United States.

Author Biographies

Connie Lynn Schaffer, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Dr. Schaffer is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. One of her areas of research is urban education. For over 20 years, she has partnered with schools in the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan area to provide meaningful experiences for pre-service teachers in urban schools.

Corine Meredith Brown, Rowan University

Dr. Brown is an Associate Professor in the College of Education at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. As a former elementary teacher, she taught in urban and suburban schools.

Meg White, Stockton University

Dr. White is an association professor in the Teacher Education at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ. She teaches pre-service teachers to be effective urban educators through coursework and field experiences Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Martha Graham Viator, Rowan University

Dr. Viator is an associate professor in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Education at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Her scholarship reflects her academic preparation as a historian, and she has published on cultural history.

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Published

2018-12-19

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2018)

Section

Articles

License

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