The Blackwell Museum is dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and disseminating history of education research.
Research Facilities
For those interested in conducting research, the Blackwell offers an excellent history of education reference collection containing a large assortment of research reports, reference books, and journals. There is also a massive collection of original school texts and teacher education material in a variety of subjects, as well as an expanding body of oral histories.
Blackwell Electronic Journal of Education History
To aid in disseminating research, the museum has launched the Blackwell Electronic Journal of Education History. This new journal will publish on-line articles that deal with issues of concern to historians of education, museum curators, and narrative researchers. We expect to have the first articles available on-line soon.
Blackwell Research Associates
The Blackwell is determined to recognize the work of historians of education. Periodically, nominations are solicited for outstanding historians of education to become Blackwell Research Associates. We encourage individuals who are interested in this program to contact the Blackwell Museum.
Grants
The Blackwell seeks and accepts funding for research efforts in the history of education.
Current Research and Artistry at the Blackwell
Examples of the current research efforts of the Blackwell:
Oral History Project
The Blackwell currently has completed 109 oral histories of individuals who attended or taught in one-room schools. This on-going project provides both an audiotape of each interview along with printed transcripts. Each packet also includes biographical and key historical information concerning each person interviewed.
DeKalb County Rural School Project
The Blackwell is working with local historians and historical societies in an effort to document the history of all one-room schools in DeKalb County.
Emma Willard Papers Project
The Blackwell is collecting the scattered papers of Emma Hart Willard (1787 -1870). To date, repositories in 24 states and one foreign country have been visited. Over 800 letters have been sent in search of photocopies of documents.
Most Influential Books
The staff at the Blackwell is compiling an annotated bibliography of books that have greatly influenced education down through the ages.
Blackwell Mural Project
The Blackwell Mural Project has produced several murals that hang in the halls of Northern Illinois University’s College of Education. These were produced with the help of students in the Art Education and Upward Bound programs. Currently, the Blackwell is sponsoring more murals depicting the history of education also to be hung in the College of Education.
Educational Technology Collection Essays
The Blackwell History of Education Museum has almost 50 essays exploring the artifacts in the Blackwell Technology Collection and the AECT (Association of Educational Communications and Technology) Archives. Most were written by NIU students for their Educational Technology/Instructional Technology 640 class. The Blackwell is continuing to expand this collection and is always accepting more essays.
To view the essay lists and accession sheets please click here