State Historical Society of Iowa

RG 073 Public Instruction/Education

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was established under the 1846 Iowa Constitution, with the primary responsibility of distributing monies received by the School Fund to the counties. Numerous duties were soon added including holding teachers institutes and the general supervision of county superintendents. In 1913, the Department of Public Instruction was created by the General Assembly; it was renamed the Department of Education in 1986. The following is a partial list of record series in our holdings. A complete list is available in the Preliminary Guide to Records of the Public Instruction/Education at the Research Center in Des Moines.

General
Title Date Span
Annual Reports of County Superintendents 1873-1972
Appeal Case Decisions 1861-1893
Appeal Case Letter Books 1861-1922
Correspondence 1921-1928, 1959-1970
Cost Analysis and Statistical Reports 1911-1959, 1971-1973
Education Agency Budgets 1984-1989
High School Normal Training Examination Grade Sheets and Transcripts
Letter Books of Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent 1848-1922
Mining Camp Schools, Account Ledger 1927-1930
Miscellaneous - Register of Teacher Institutes 1858-1889
Miscellaneous - Reports 1951-1960, 1970-1972
Miscellaneous - School Buildings (Completed) 1954-1956
Miscellaneous - State Conferences and District Meetings 1930-1949
Miscellaneous - Veterans 1953-1969
Public Enrollment Records 1971-2001
Rural Visitation Reports 1957-1963
School Budget Review Committee, Minutes 1984-2001
School Correspondence and Annual Evaluations 1946-1969
School Reorganizations and Closings 1936-1968
Senior and Junior High School Daily Program Cards 1933-1961
Standard School Reports 1920-1945
State Plans 1954-1967
Board of Educational Examiners
Title Date Span
Committee Reports and Minutes 1913-1952
Fee Books and Classified Record of Fees 1907-1920, 1939-1948
Letter Books 1882-1918
Record of Proceedings 1912-1914
Record of State Certificates 1898-1940
Reports of Inspections, Teachers' Training Advisors 1930-1950
Junior Colleges
Title Date Span
Annual Reports 1947-1966
Correspondence 1952-1955
State Board of Public Instruction
Title Date Span
Minutes 1954-1983
Vocational Education
Title Date Span
Annual Descriptive Report for Vocational Agriculture 1928-1968
Annual Farm Reports 1960-1965
Annual Vocational Agriculture Reports 1963-1965
Applications for American Farmer Degrees 1938-1958, 1963-1969
Board for Vocational Education - Administrative Files 1923-1937
Board for Vocational Education - Subject Files 1920-1975
Future Farmers of America - Iowa Future Farmers Magazine 1941-1970
Future Farmers of America - Membership 1929-1973
Vocational Agriculture Education Publications 1929-1968
Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association Meeting Minutes 1928-1957