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Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History© 1998 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Heather Crocetto
The collection is open for research.
There are no restrictions.
Records of the Citizen's Committee for School Improvement, Collection # RG 9, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Record Group 9 is mostly composed of materials from two donations from B. Alden Lillywhite and Barnard Joy, respectively. This guide was made possible by grants from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Washington Forrest Foundation.
The Citizen's Committee for School Improvement (CCSI), a nonpartisan association, was formed in Arlington, Virginia in 1946, with the immediate purpose of influencing the selection of Arlington School Board candidates. The Committee's constitution, adopted in 1947, states that the organization's goals "are to advance the nature of the population, the needs of the time, and the resources of the community." During the year of the organization's founding, CCSI was also involved in the establishment of kindergartens in Arlington County. The first chairman was Oscar R. LeBeau (1946-1947), followed by B. Alden Lillywhite (1947-1949) and Reed K. Pond (1949-1950). Later chairmen included Robert E. Reynolds and Charles B. Wood.
The Maryland-Virginia Citizen's Committee for the Public Schools was founded in 1950 with the purpose of bringing together leaders interested in public education from civic, business and educational organizations. Membership between the M-V CCPS and the CCSI was overlapping, and Reed K. Pond was the president of both groups in 1950. Included are membership lists, minutes and reports.
Record Group 9 houses the scattered records of the Citizen's Committee for School Improvement for the period from 1946-1954 and 1956-1969 and measures 1 linear foot. The collection houses the committee's constitution, by-laws, minutes, correspondence files, resolutions, membership lists, position statements, press releases, announcements, newsletters, radio scripts, photographs and clippings. The Committee's interests in the selection of School Board candidates, the school lunch program, the improvement of teacher salaries, local bond issues, and the establishment of public kindergartens are covered in this group.
The record group also includes a few scattered records, 1950-1954, of the Maryland-Virginia Citizen's Committee for the Public Schools. Included are membership lists, minutes and reports.
The collection has been arranged into series according to either primary functions of the committees and/or type of material. Within each series, folders are in chronological order, and documents within folders are in rough chronological order. Undated items are placed at the front of the folder.
The Arlington Community Archives has many collections that relate to the local school system. RG 7, Arlington Public Schools , is a central collection with information about county policies and individual schools. RG 70, Barnard Joy Papers , are materials from Joy, a long-time School Board member during the years of CCSI's activity.