Time Machine Tuesday: Public Schools and the Great Depression

Amidst the Great Depression of the 1930s, “[t]he citizens of Colorado face[d] the problem of finding from some source or sources increased support for public education.”  So the Colorado Department of Education and the W.P.A. prepared a report on the issue, entitled The Application of Selected State Aid and State Equalization Plans to Public Education in Colorado.  This 1936 report is available online from our library.  It “presents an analysis of several methods of equalizing educational opportunity.”  Using statistical analysis and exploration of the various methods, the report was meant to “be valuable to school superintendents, legislators and other persons in the state who are concerned with knowing the facts about the financing of public education in Colorado.”  Today, this report serves as a valuable resource for those researching the history of education and school finance in our state.  To find other resources on this topic, visit our library’s web catalog.

Photo courtesy History Colorado