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Record Group Number: 000402
Series/Collection Number: .S 303
Creator: Florida. Dept. of Education.
Title, Dates: Commissioner of Education Floyd T. Christian state education programs files, 1965-1974.
Amount: 45.00 cubic ft.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement: Chronological.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:     The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was created by the 1868 Constitution.  In the 1885 Constitution, the Superintendent became an elected official.  The Superintendent headed the Dept. of Public Instruction (1869-1938) and the State Dept. of Education (1939-1968).  Under the 1968 Constitution, the name was changed to Commissioner of Education and the position became one of the elected Cabinet posts.  The Commissioner heads the Dept. of Education and serves as chief state school officer.
    Floyd Thomas Christian was born on December 18, 1914, in Bessemer, Alabama, and moved to Florida in 1927 with his family.  He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1933, received an A.B. degree from the University of Florida in 1937, and a Master's degree in Education from the University of Florida in 1950.  In 1948 he was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction for Pinellas County. He remained in this position until his appointment as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1965.  He became the first Commissioner of Education in 1969 and served until 1974.
Summary:     This series consists of correspondence, reports, and studies documenting the various programs administered by the State Department of Education under Commissioner Floyd T. Christian, such as building and maintaining of school facilities, junior and community colleges, curriculum, and teacher education.  Notable program areas documented in the series include civil rights compliance in schools, busing issues, religious education, prayer in schools, education of migrant workers and their children, increased interest in vocational and adult education, and educational television.  This series also contains a large amount of correspondence documenting the sentiment of Florida's citizens regarding a 1967-1968 statewide teachers' strike.
Finding Aids: Folder listing available.
Additional Physical Form:
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields: Christian, Floyd T., 1914-
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Commissioner of Education.
Adult education Florida
Vocational education Florida
Community colleges Florida
School management and organization Florida
Education Curricula Florida
Migrant labor Florida
Television in education Florida
Reports. aat
Added Entries Christian, Floyd T., 1914-
Florida State Dept. of Education.