A symbolic analysis of state educational policy and reaction in a selected state, 1915-1925.

Abstract

The role of nonpublic schools within American society has often been debated and challenged, yet for over three hundred and fifty years such schools have existed within what is now the United States. A significant portion of these nonpublic schools have been parochial schools operated by Lutheran denominations. Lutheran parochial schools were established by most European Lutheran immigrant groups to the United States, but the majority were established by German immigrants. German Lutheran immigrants to the United States initially established and maintained parochial schools to perpetuate their language, their culture, and their doctrinal standards. During World War I, extraordinary pressures from society and from the state came to bear on German Lutheran parochial schools. This study examined the public opinions and state policies within Nebraska from 1915-1925, as applied to German Lutheran parochial schools. The symbolic approach toward organizations was the analytical frame used for this study.