The Chester Non-High School District : a historical and contemporary case study
The purpose of this study was to examine the history of the Chester Non-High School District #122. In order to examine this history it is necessary to look back into the 18th century and track the education of students until the present time. This study looks at how the Chester Non-High School District has functioned and maintained its existence through the years for students who live in its boundaries. The Chester Non-High district began after the passage of the Non-High legislation in 1917, but the events that transpired before 1917 have insured its existence through the years. The researcher probed into the following information: the historical background of the Chester Non-High School District, the laws providing education for rural high school students, the special legislation that allows this non-high district to exist, and the current status of the district with its implications for other Illinois communities. Strategies were used that employed interviews of the people involved and archival analysis to answer questions concerning the Chester Non-High School District. Triangulation was used to enhance the credibility of the research study. By asking similar questions to people of interest in the study, we confirmed the accuracy of events and the study became more valid and reliable. Historical events were corroborated by obtaining similar or matching stories from people who were present at that time. This detailed look at the history of the Chester Non-High School District has validated decisions made to preserve it through the years. The Okaw Valley was home to the first state capitol for the state of Illinois, but even before Illinois became a state, the French had deemed Fort de Chartres as the seat of government for the upper Louisiana and Illinois country. A gift by the French government to the communities of Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher continues to be important in the preservation of the Chester Non-High School District. In 1719, the French government gave a Common to the residents. This gift helped to provide food for the residents of these communities and supplied funding to support elementary education
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 2006