Making teachers: An analysis of early 20th century Brazoria County educators

Abstract

Brazoria County is located in southeast Texas and was a rural area with a population of 14,861 in 1910 and fell to 13,299 in 1920. This study focused on the academic school year 1915-1916; therefore, the county population would be less than 14,861 yet more than the 13,299 reported on the census. The purpose of this study was to examine records relating to the certification and salaries of teachers who taught in Brazoria County, Texas, in the 1915-1916 school year in order to understand the quality of teachers and their preparation to teach. This study found that the majority of the teachers in Brazoria County taught on county and state temporary certificates, thus limiting their tenure in the schools; fewer than 30% held county or  state permanent certificates. However, the number of Black female teachers teaching at the elementary level with post secondary education was greater than the number of white teachers, male or female. . This study also found that white schools reported higher average monthly salaries as well as the lowest average monthly salaries when comparing monthly salaries. White schools also reported both the highest salary for a single month as well as the lowest salary for a single month. This indicates that while black school employees were not being paid as much as white employees in a single month, they were not being paid the least amount.