The Wound of Geography: The Current State of the Corridor of Shame
College
College of Education
Department
Curriculum & Pedagogy
Abstract
Since 1993, many of South Carolina’s rural school districts have been involved in a judicial process aimed at securing more funds and better opportunities for the students that they serve. Over the last twenty-five years, these school districts, which filed suit under the name Abbeville County School District, et al. v. State of South Carolina, et al., have been involved in a bureaucratic process that has led to few changes. These rural school districts are primarily located along the Interstate 95 corridor in what has colloquially become known as the “Corridor of Shame.” The term “shame” is arguably two-fold, as politicians and legislators are ashamed of the conditions and test scores that are associated with many of these school districts. However, the school districts are ashamed that their elected officials will not initiate or require action that will lead to the improvements for which they continue to fight. This thesis outlines twenty-five years of courtroom rulings, dialogue, and discussion while also providing a plan for improvements that the South Carolina House of Representatives claims is unfathomable. With appropriate legislative action, the school districts along the Corridor of Shame can begin to provide their students with the quality of education and the opportunities that they deserve and have been trying to secure since long before the case’s start in 1993.
Honors Thesis Committee
Crystal Glover, Ph.D.; Sherell Fuller, Ph.D.; and Lindsay Yearta, Ph.D.
Start Date
20-4-2018 4:00 PM
The Wound of Geography: The Current State of the Corridor of Shame
West 214
Since 1993, many of South Carolina’s rural school districts have been involved in a judicial process aimed at securing more funds and better opportunities for the students that they serve. Over the last twenty-five years, these school districts, which filed suit under the name Abbeville County School District, et al. v. State of South Carolina, et al., have been involved in a bureaucratic process that has led to few changes. These rural school districts are primarily located along the Interstate 95 corridor in what has colloquially become known as the “Corridor of Shame.” The term “shame” is arguably two-fold, as politicians and legislators are ashamed of the conditions and test scores that are associated with many of these school districts. However, the school districts are ashamed that their elected officials will not initiate or require action that will lead to the improvements for which they continue to fight. This thesis outlines twenty-five years of courtroom rulings, dialogue, and discussion while also providing a plan for improvements that the South Carolina House of Representatives claims is unfathomable. With appropriate legislative action, the school districts along the Corridor of Shame can begin to provide their students with the quality of education and the opportunities that they deserve and have been trying to secure since long before the case’s start in 1993.
