Dunbar Gifted & Talented Education International Studies Magnet Middle School is a

magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

middle school for students in grades 6 through 8 located in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Dunbar Magnet Middle School is administered by the

Little Rock School District The Little Rock School District is a school district in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It is one of four public school districts in Pulaski County and encompasses of land nearly coterminous with the state's capital and largest city. In ...

. It is named for the nationally known African-American poet,

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...

. With construction supported by the

Rosenwald Fund The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

and a matching program, the school was built in 1929. For nearly three decades it provided comprehensive education for black students in Little Rock, under a segregated system. Its curriculum covered junior and senior high school classes, as well as some junior college. After 1955 the junior college was discontinued and, with construction of a new high school, this building was devoted to junior high school. Later it was adapted as a magnet middle school in the public school system.

History

Dunbar Junior and Senior High School and Junior College

Dunbar Junior and Senior High School and Junior College, is located at the corner of Wright Avenue and Ringo Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. Named for

, who was the first African American to gain national eminence as a poet. The institution has become significant in four distinct areas: African-American history, education history, legal history, and architecture/engineering achievement. Between 1929 and 1955, Dunbar provided

comprehensive education Comprehensive may refer to: *Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement o ...

for black students in Little Rock, under a state-segregated system. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. Dunbar is located near the historically famous

Little Rock Central High School Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) is an accredited comprehensive education, comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Secondary education in the United States, United States. The school was the Littl ...

and is a principal feeder into that school. Little Rock Central is also on the

. Since its construction in 1929, partially supported as a

Rosenwald School The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the part ...

, Dunbar was the site of the Negro School of Industrial Arts, the

Junior and Senior High School (the city's "black school", as opposed to Little Rock Central, which was for white students in the segregated system), and Dunbar Junior College. Architecturally, Dunbar is a scaled miniature of Central High. Between 1929 and 1955, the school served as a junior and senior high school, with some classes developed for a junior college. In May 1955, the junior college program was abruptly terminated by the public school system, following the US Supreme Court decision in ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

'' ruling that segregated education was unconstitutional. In the fall 1955, this school became used fully as a junior high school. High school students attended the recently opened Horace Mann High School.

Curriculum

In the early 21st century, most students take a foreign language class, and 6th graders are required to take nine weeks of Spanish, German, or French, plus Latin. Many go on to first and second-year courses in these languages. Central High maintains a foreign language program that culminates with Spanish VI, German VI, French VI, and Latin IV classes. Dunbar is the local anchor for an extensive Gifted and Talented program.

Feeder schools

Elementary schools

Dunbar Magnet Middle School receives students from: *King Elementary *Stephens Elementary *Washington Elementary *Other students from the

can also attend if they don't live in the attendance zone.

High schools

Dunbar Magnet Middle School prepares students for: * Central International Studies High School * McClellan Magnet High School (some areas are zoned to McClellan)

References

External links

Dunbar Magnet Middle School

National Dunbar Alumni Association

American Institute of Architects website, Dunbar High School historical page

"University President Speaks at Dunbar Opening." The Arkansas News, Old State House website

The University of Dayton's Paul Laurence Dunbar webpage

"African-Americans, Early 20th Century." People and Their Stories page, Department of Arkansas Heritage website

Sanborn fire insurance maps of Little Rock, Arkansas, showing location of original Gibbs High School and Gibbs Elementary School

{{National Register of Historic Places 1929 establishments in Arkansas African-American history in Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock Central High School Education in Little Rock, Arkansas Educational institutions established in 1929 Schools in the Little Rock School District Public middle schools in Arkansas Magnet schools in Arkansas School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Art Deco architecture in Arkansas Historically segregated African-American schools in Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Little Rock, Arkansas Historic district contributing properties in Arkansas