Public Education in Camden, N.J.: From Inception to Integration

Spanning more than a hundred years, Public Education in Camden, N.J.: From Inception to Integration tells the history of one of the oldest and largest school districts in New Jersey.Using vignettes and historical narratives, author Fred Reiss, current assistant superintendent of the Camden Board of Education, tells how the Camden Public Schools survived and thrived through events both mundane and spectacular. Public Education in Camden, N.J.: From Inception to Integration describes and interprets the actions of a board of education throughout a century of history, including:The Civil War eraHostility between the Republican-controlled city and the Democratic-controlled statePeculation and jobbery by board membersThe World WarsThe Great DepressionRacism and segregationUsing detailed records from many primary sources, Reiss offers a compelling look at the growth and development of an educational board within an historical framework.

Fred Reiss is presently an assistant superintendent for the Camden Board of Education, where he has worked since 1968. He is the author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars.