51

The Texas School of the Air and It’s “Stories Plus” Program

Lauren G. Santarelli
ORCID#: 0000-0001-7566-9372

Texas A&M University

Abstract
In 1939 The Texas School of the Air was
created with the purpose to broadcast
“educationally and socially desired radio
programs” for Texans. This paper reports
findings from a content analysis of the Texas
School of the Air’s “Stories Plus” program.
“Stories Plus” was the “social relations”
program that aired from 1940-1942. The
analysis of the “Stories Plus” program reveals
that the broadcasts were not only “educationally
and socially desirable,” but also supplementary
to state curriculum.

The Texas School of the Air and It’s “Stories
Plus” Program

Educators often wrestle with how to
address the incorporation of technology into
school settings (Dousay & Janak, 2018).
Commonly, many educators question how new
technological devices will complement the
curriculum, and how the needs of the students
will be met through their use. From the 1920s
through the 1940s, the technological device that
garnered perhaps the most discussion among
educators was the radio. Educators at this time
questioned, “the place of radio in education, and
how it may be used in the classroom”, despite
its rising popularity in the field (Woods, 1940, p.
14).

During this time, radio was the “trending
educational buzzword” (Dousay & Janak, 2018).
The radio was commonly considered to be the
“marvel of ages” (Morgan, 1939), “the medium
that would revolutionize education” (Reiser,
2001, p. 56), and something that would,
“become as popular as the classroom textbook”
(Dousay & Janak, 2018; Reiser, 2001). Radio
was seen as “having a place in the school”

because it possessed certain, “peculiar” aspects
that could “undeniably” “enrich, vitalize, and
diversify the process of learning” (Woods, 1940,
p. 14; Ashby, 1932). Radio could reach
audiences over a wide area, could deliver
content designed to “spark” student imagination,
and could provide access to resources that
would otherwise be unavailable to teachers
(Ashby, 1932; Hill, 1997).

In Texas, the School of the Air radio
broadcast series began in the fall of 1939 and
continued to serve Texas communities for the
next fourteen years (Hill, 1997). The Texas
School of the Air was created with the purpose
to broadcast “educationally and socially desired
radio programs designed to supplement the
public-school curriculum” (Woods, 1940, p. 11).
Although it is somewhat unclear why the
governing members of the Texas School of the
Air felt that the public-school curriculum
needed to be “supplemented”, the radio was
seen as an instructional tool that could bring
“educational and cultural materials” to the
classroom, “which no teachers, because of
limitations of either time or ability, could
prepare” for themselves (Woods, 1941, p.15).
This paper, and earlier presentations (Santarelli
2019a, 2019b), examines how the programs of
the Texas School of the Air were seen as
“educationally and socially desirable” through
an analysis of the content of the Stories Plus
program.

Local and national radio broadcasting
systems dedicated entire stations and programs
for the purpose of educating the people of the
United States. After the licensing of the first
educational radio station, KFOO at the Later-
Day Saints University in Salt Lake City, Utah,
in 1921, seventy-four additional educational



52

radio stations were established by the end of
1922. Additionally, by the end of 1936, 202
additional broadcasting licenses were issued to
educational institutions (Hill, 1997).

Educational radio broadcasting stations
could be found throughout the United States, in
states such as California, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas,
Georgia, Connecticut, and New York. In these
states, students tuned into broadcasts presented
by groups such as the Ohio School of the Air,
The Rocky Mountain Public Radio Program,
The Little Red School House, and Virgil
Dickson’s Radio Lessons (Hill, 1997; Bianchi,
2008). Additionally, school children could also
listen to programs presented by national
networks such as the National Broadcasting
Company (NBC) and the Columbia
Broadcasting System (CBS). Students could
partake in lessons presented by the American
School of the Air (1929, CBS), Music
Appreciation Hour (1928, NBC), and later on,
the Red and Blue Network (1938-1939, NBC)
(Hill, 1997). Together, both the local and
national stations aired hundreds of educational
programs that K-12 students could listen to both
inside and outside the classroom. These
programs reached thousands of listeners and
covered a myriad of topics that people from
around the country could find interesting.

Despite the popularity of educational
radio broadcasts, Texas educators expressed
concerns about the use of radio programs in the
classroom. Texas educators claimed that
educational broadcasts were often full of
commercial advertisements (Who Owns the
Radio, 1930, p. 9), were broadcast at
inconvenient times for instructional use
(Chapman, 1940), and were sometimes difficult
to access due to unwanted feedback and
interference (Stone, 1936; Cooper, 1938). In
order to address these concerns, Texas teachers,
school and district administrators, educational
associations, and the Texas Department of
Education teamed up to create a cooperative
public radio program for Texas called the Texas
School of the Air (Cooper,1938).

The programs teachers could utilize
were centered around subjects such as science

(Open Your Eyes), reading (Reading is
Adventure), social studies (Stories Plus),
vocations (Jobs Ahead) and music (Music is
Yours). Each of these programs were designed
to be “educationally and socially desirable”,
meaning that they were created to, “increase
knowledge, cultivate discernment, appreciation,
and taste, and to enrich character by inspiring
social ideals that may result in constructive
citizenship” (Woods, 1940, p. 11; Woods, 1941,
p.12; Chapman, 1940, p.35).

The Stories Plus program, the focus of
this paper, was the “social relations” broadcast
of the Texas School of the Air. The program
was intended for elementary school aged
children and was based on selected children’s
stories with “social themes pertaining to good
citizenship” (Woods, 1940, p.18). The program
was entitled Stories Plus because the selected
stories were seen as having “far-reaching ends”
that could teach students facts, attitudes, and
social choices, and that could provide “an
atmospheric background for the interpretation of
the past” (Woods, 1940, p. 21; Woods, 1941, p.
22). Through the analysis of the content of the
Stories Plus program, which focused on
teaching students social themes and skills, more
can be understood regarding how Texas School
of the Air programs were designed to be
“educationally and socially desirable”. In
addition to examining the Stories Plus program,
background information regarding radio
education use in Texas is provided. The history
of radio education use in Texas is important to
consider in order to understand why and how
the Texas School of the Air and its companion
programs were created.

Early Educational Radio Use in Texas
Early discussions of radio education use

in Texas generally centered around access to
radios and receiving the appropriate equipment.
Educators often claimed that a “good radio and
receiving set should be in “every school and, in
some systems, every schoolroom” (Radio and
Education, 1927). The radio was seen as a
device that could carry into the classroom the
“best music of all time and the voices of the



53

greatest men and women of the day who offered
advice, information, and encouragement to all”
(Radio and Education, 1928, p. 43). Radios
were to be acquired at all costs in order to avoid
the even costly effects of ignorance (Radio and
Education, 1928). One of the earliest attempts at
placing a radio in Texas schools took place in
1929 in Fort Bend County Schools, where a
“new trail” in radio education was blazed in
Texas when a radio was placed in each of the
county’s schools. Under the leadership of
County Superintendent Jesse F. Ward, the radio
was utilized to communicate with school
administrators, announce important news and
events, and to provide programs tailored to the
topics of “instructional work and general
educational interests” (Radio in Fort Bend
County Schools, 1929, p. 26).

Other early discussions on the topic of
radio education use in Texas recommended
providing students access to the “finest
programs” (Radio Education, 1928, p. 43).
Through providing students with these programs,
educators felt that ignorance, superstition, fear,
hatred and poverty, “the direct results of a lack
of proper education” could be abated (Radio
Education, 1928, p. 43). Educational radio was
seen as an “inspiring and enlightening order”,
devoted to the “educational uplift of the people”;
not as an advertisement agent. (Who Owns the
Radio, 1930, p. 9). Educators asserted that
teachers should be provided radio programs that
were unencumbered by commercial
advertisements or “jazzy entertainments”.
Although the criteria outlining what made a
radio program “the finest on the air”, and why
these programs were needed had not yet been
established, Texas educators, encouraged
students and teachers alike to tune into
programs produced by the University of Texas
and the University of Chicago, or to programs
sponsored by national networks such as the
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) (Radio
and Education, 1927). Some educators also
encouraged the utilization of radio programs
that “assuredly conformed to the highest
American ideals”. Meaning, that radio programs
should both “preserve and nurture” the “sanctity

of the home and the school, and the very
foundations of the United States government”
(Who Owns the Radio, 1930, p. 9).

A Glimpse into Texas Educational Radio Use
During the 1930s

Radio education use in Texas became
increasingly popular in the 1930s and the survey
conducted by Roy M. Stone, of Lubbock, Texas,
provided a glimpse into that rising interest. In
November 1935 a questionnaire was sent to the
offices of 63 superintendents or principals of
Texas schools, in which radios were reported to
be in use, in order to determine the extent of
radio use in secondary classrooms. The
administrators were asked to indicate the kind of
equipment they possessed, how the equipment
was obtained, the subjects that they thought
were best adapted to radio instruction, and what
they felt the major benefits and criticisms of the
radio were. Out of the 63 questionnaires sent out,
41 “usable replies” were returned (Stone, 1936).

Stone found that out of the 41 schools
who responded to the survey, only one school
reported utilizing the radio prior to 1930.
Instead, a majority of the schools (28 of 41
schools), reported that they began to use the
radio during or after the year 1932. A replica of
the table used by Stone to display this data in his
article can be found in Table 1.

Table 1: When Texas Schools Began to Use
Radio

Year Number of Schools
Prior to 1930 1

1930 7
1931 1
1932 4
1933 10
1934 7
1935 11

(from Stone, 1936)

Stone (1936) found that the most
common type of radio equipment used in the
Texas secondary schools was the “master set”.



54

Twenty of the forty-one schools included in this
study reported having access to “master set”
radio equipment (i.e., a combined public address
and radio system with individual classroom
loudspeakers). The use of “portable radio”
equipment, however, came in a close second
place, with nineteen out forty-one schools
reporting that they had access to either 1, 2, or 3
devices.

Another finding from Stone’s (1936)
study relates to which subjects Texas
administrators thought were best adapted to
radio instruction. All forty-one administrators
indicated that the radio was used to “supplement
the classwork of eighteen different school
subjects”. Of these subjects, the ones that were
considered to be the “best” adapted to radio
instruction were music, English, history, civics,
social studies, geography, and public speaking.
Other frequently listed subjects were vocational
guidance, art appreciation, languages, science,
typewriting, physical education, and drama
(Stone, 1936). According to Stone’s report, it is
unclear as to why the surveyed administrators
felt that their school’s curriculum needed to be
supplemented. Instead of covering this topic,
Stone indicates how the school administrators
viewed the radio as being a beneficial
educational tool. Out of the 41 surveys collected
for the study, 7 benefits of radio education use
were identified (Stone, 1936, p. 30)

1. Radio enlarges the educational field by
supplementing class work with material
students would not otherwise get.

2. The public address system provides an
executive instrument which permits
administrators to keep in close touch
with the school without any loss of
time.

3. Radio stimulates interest in school
work by breaking routine.

4. Radio keeps students in closer touch
with current news and thereby creates
interest in reading.

5. Radio creates a better appreciation of
music and drama.

6. Radio creates interest in public affairs
and broadens the outlook of the less
fortunate child.

7. Radio enables students to hear
outstanding speakers and artists.

Although all forty-one school
administrators indicated that the radio was used
to “supplement the school curriculum”, Stone
(1936) also found that only nine schools
specifically made provisions for educational
radio broadcasts in the school schedule. This
subsequently was one of the criticisms of using
the radio in the school, as administrators noted
that fitting radio programs into the school
schedule was difficult. Additional criticism of
radio usage dealt with having access to “suitable
programs for school use”. Although the
administrators did not specifically state what
made programs “unsuitable” for the school,
others cited criticisms such as commercialism
and radio interference, could possibly provide
some clarity into why school leaders were
unsatisfied with the current broadcasts (Stone,
1936). These specific criticisms are important to
note, however, because the foundational
principles of the Texas School of The Air
broadcast program centered on providing
resolutions to these problems (Cooper, 1938).

The Texas School of the Air
The Texas School of the Air was the

next stage in the evolution of radio education in
the state of Texas. The creation of the Texas
School of the Air in 1939, marked an important
milestone for radio education in Texas because
it was the first program series that was capable
of and designed to complement Texas
educational courses, delivered to students during
school hours (Chapman, 1940). During the life
of the Texas School of the Air, teachers could
tune into “educationally and socially desirable”
broadcasts on social studies (Stories Plus -
would last only two years), science (Open Your
Eyes), vocations (Jobs Ahead), reading
(Reading in Adventure), and music (Musical
Texas). The selection of these subjects reflects



55

the recommendations made by school
administrators in Stone’s 1932 survey.

Organization and Administration
The Texas School of the Air was organized
largely through the efforts of the staff members
in the Texas State Department of Education
(Chapman, 1940; Hill, 1997). One such staff
member, who actively participated in the
organization of the Texas School of the Air, was
the State Superintendent of Education, L.A.
Woods (Chapman, 1940). Other groups who
contributed meaningfully to the creation and
organization of the Texas School of the Air
included the Texas Radio Council, North Texas
State Teachers College, the University of Texas,
the Agricultural and Mechanical College of
Texas, Texas State College for Women, Texas
Congress of Parents and Teachers, and the
Texas State Teachers Association. Of these
supporting groups, however, the one that had
probably the most influence over the
organization, other than the State Department of
Education was the Texas Radio Council
(Chapman, 1940; Hill, 1997).The Texas School
of the Air was administered as a division of the
State Department of Education and directed by
John W. Gunstream. Gunstream, Deputy State
Superintendent in charge of Radio in Education
in the State Department of Education, was also
the chairman of the Section for Education by
Radio in the Texas State Teachers Association.

The Texas School of the Air was further
directed by an eight-member board of directors;
a list of the key individuals on the board for the
Texas School of the Air program can be found
in Table 2.

To assist the board of directors, an
advisory committee, composed of representative
educators, college professors, and businessmen
from various parts of the state, was also
assembled (Chapman, 1940; Hill, 1997).
Members of the advisory committee had to be
interested in the “proper development” of Texas
schoolchildren and had to believe that the radio
the radio could be used to reach “broader
educational purposes” (Chapman, 1940).

Funding
Despite having a board of directors

composed of individuals who could be
considered as the “who’s who” of Texas
educators, The Texas School of the Air began
without legislative funding. In the first years,
expenses surrounding the “planning, production,
research, scriptwriting, line costs, and secretarial
work of the educational broadcasts” were
largely provided by either the partnering
nstitutions or the participating broadcast stations
(Hill, 1997, p. 58; Bianchi, 2008). Expenses not
covered by the cooperating institutions and
stations were often paid for through private
donations.

Table 2
Texas School of the Air Board of Directors
John W. Gunstream State Department of Education official in

charge of Radio in Education
L.A. Woods State Superintendent of Education
Joe P. Harris County Superintendent, Dallas County
I.W. Popham County Superintendent, Travis County
Dr. Homer P. Rainey President of the University of Texas
T.M. Trimble First Assistant State Superintendent of

Education
Paul Wakefield Member
George B. Wilcox President, Texas State Teachers Association
(Chapman, 1940, p. 35)



56

One donor specifically acknowledged by
State Superintendent Woods for providing funds
for the Texas School of the Air was Karl
Hoblitzelle, President of the Dallas, Texas,
based Interstate Theaters and member of the
Texas School of the Air advisory committee.
Hoblitzelle played an integral part in funding
the Texas School of Air, especially during its
first year (Woods, 1940; Hill, 1997; Bianchi,
2008). So critical was Hoblitzelle’s support that
the State Superintendent of Education, L.A.
Woods included the following in the 1947-1948
Teachers’ Classroom Guide for “Music is
Yours”

To Mr. Karl Hoblitzelle, President,
Interstate Theatres, Dallas, Texas, for
providing funds with which to establish
and operate the Texas School of the Air
during 1940 and 1941, when no funds
were available in the State Department
of Education for this purpose, and for
continuing the Karl Hoblitzelle Music
Fellowship Fund for Radio House
Chorus and Orchestra until 1946.
(Woods, 1947, p. 3)

By the time the 47th Texas State
Legislature met, the Texas School of the Air
was in its second year and was recognized as
successful in making contributions to the
education of Texas school children and, as a
result, funds were appropriated for its operations
during the 1941-1943 biennium (Woods, 1940;
Hill, 1997). That the program was supported by
the Texas Legislature can be seen in the
Acknowledgements of Appreciation: “To the
Fiftieth Texas Legislature for appropriating
funds with which to carry on the work of the
Texas School of the Air during the
biennium,1947-1949” (Woods, 1947, p. 3).

Broadcast Facilities and Programs
The Texas School of the Air programs

were aired through an arrangement with
commercially owned CBS affiliate stations
known as the Texas Quality Network (Woods,
1940). The AM radio stations that regularly

carried the Texas School of the Air programs
were WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas, WFAA in
Dallas, Texas, WOAI, in San Antonio Texas,
and KPRC in Houston, Texas. Later, additional
stations would broadcast the programs: KGNC
in Amarillo, Texas; KGRV in Weslaco, Texas;
KTSM in El Paso (Bianchi, 2008; Woods, 1947).
These radio station broadcasts reached portions
of 90 of the 254 counties in Texas which had,
according to the 1940 census, a population in
excess of 3 million (over half of the Texas
population at that time). Without additional
information, one cannot say how many of the
students in the counties were able to listen to the
airings - the number probably increased over the
14 year life of the program. Local newspapers
included the broadcast times for School of the
Air in their papers as “Today’s Radio
Programs” (see, Today’s Radio Programs, 1939,
p. 5).

The programs were planned by
educators for the purpose to “increase
knowledge, to cultivate discernment,
appreciation, and taste and to enrich [student]
character by inspiring social ideals that may
result in constructive citizenship” (Woods, 1940;
Woods, 1941; Hill, 1997).The radio programs,
broadcast by the Texas School of the Air during
the first two years were Stories Plus, Open Your
Eyes, Jobs Ahead, Reading in Adventure, and
Musical Texas. The programs initially aired
daily from 1:15 pm -1:30 pm and covered one
of the five major core areas of the public
curriculum in Texas specifically, social science,
natural science, vocations, language arts, and
music.

The Stories Plus Program
The Stories Plus broadcast was the

“social relations program”, of the Texas School
of the Air. The program was intended for
elementary school aged children and was based
on selected children’s stories with “social
themes pertaining to good citizenship” (Woods,
1940, p. 21; Woods, 1941, p. 22). Stories Plus
was presented by the Radio Workshop in Dallas
and Fort Worth, Texas, and aired on Monday
afternoons from 1:15-1:30 pm on stations



57

affiliated with the Texas Quality Network.
Emma Petty was the scriptwriter for the Stories
Plus program during the first year of production
(1940-1941), but was replaced, after the first
season, with Ella West Decker. The Stories Plus
program series was produced by A.M.
Woodford in both the 1940-1941 and 1941-1942
seasons (Woods, 1940; Woods, 1941).

The Stories Plus radio program was only
in operation for two years before it was
redesigned and renamed as “Your Story Parade”.
The Stories Plus radio program was redesigned
mostly because of the United States’ entrance
into World War Two. With the entry of the
United States into World War Two, both the
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, L.A.
Woods, and the Director of the Texas School of
the Air, John W. Gunstream, called for the
creation of a radio program that was “tailored
for Texas’ wartime children”. As a result, the
Stories Plus program was restructured in order
to provide “emotionally satisfying stories” for
primary and preschool aged children “in a world
at war”. Through hearing these stories, it was
believed that child “wartime hysteria and
injurious nervous strain” could be prevented
(Texas School of The Air has New Series, 1942,
p. 32).
Teaching Recommendations for the Stories
Plus Program

Administrators of the Texas School of
the Air believed that the “ultimate value of the
radio” depended on how the broadcasts were
used by the teacher. Teachers could use the
radio in a number of different ways, but those
seeking additional instructional assistance could
find it in the Texas School of the Air Teachers’
Manual and Guide (see for example Woods,
1940). The Texas School of the Air Teachers’
Manual and Guide was issued every year and
was designed to provide teachers with
knowledge about the purpose of the Texas
School of the Air, the content covered by each
program, and the teaching techniques that
fostered the proper utilization of the broadcasts
in the classroom (Woods, 1940; Woods, 1941).

In the portion of the teacher’s manual
discussing the Stories Plus program, teachers

were provided with; a brief description of the
stories told within each of the broadcasts, a list
of questions designed to further the educational
discussions surrounding the radio broadcasts,
and a series of possible extension activities that
the students could complete following the
conclusion of the class discussion. The
Teachers’ Manual and Guide also provided
teachers with the “moral of the story” for each
broadcast. Each of the 15-minute broadcasts, in
the Stories Plus series, began with a moral that
was illustrated in the chosen story. The morals
in the selected stories were seen as those that
“pertained to good citizenship” and could teach
children “present social choices” (Woods, 1940;
Woods, 1941).

The Teachers’ Manual and Guide also
offered teachers a list of suggested procedures
that could be used in order to encourage both
the “fullest enjoyment of the stories” and the
“clearest comprehension of their meanings”
(Woods, 1940, p. 21; Woods, 1941, p. 25).
These procedures included the following
suggestions

1. Feel and show enthusiasm for the
program
2. Arrange a comfortable, ventilated room,
with distractions removed
3. Adapt your schedule to the radio
program. Provide a few moments before the
program for an easy introduction of ‘The
Tale’; a few minutes afterwards, for
evaluation. (Sometimes, in case of deeply
thoughtful play, this discussion might be
deferred for a day.)
4. Write the name of the story, the author,
and where it may be obtained, on the
blackboard.
5. Write also the list of suggested parallel
readings on the blackboard.
6. Place the names of the Characters on the
blackboard for the children to follow as they
listen.
7. Use the questions under the “What do
you Think?” and “Should you Like to”
sections to stimulate the discussion.



58

8. Do not force any activity upon the class
in connection with this program. Ask for no
notes. Try to enlarge the meanings of the
story without the suggestion of “testing”.
(Woods, 1940, p. 21; Woods, 1941, p. 25)

An Analysis of the Stories Plus Programs
Despite lasting for only two years, fifty-

two educational broadcasts were aired in the
Stories Plus program. This study presents an
analysis of all fifty-two broadcasts in order to
further examine how the programs were
designed to be “educationally and socially
desirable”. Three separate content analyses of
the Stories Plus radio broadcasts were
conducted. In the first content analysis, the
theme of each broadcast was generally
examined. Patterns in relation to broadcast dates
and the “types of stories'' aired, were evaluated.
In the second content analysis, the Stories Plus
programs were further examined through
evaluating each of the broadcasts’ stated morals,
discussion questions and recommended
extension exercises. Patterns in relation to
recurrent morals and the types of questions and
activities surrounding the broadcasts were
evaluated. In the third content analysis, the
broadcasts are compared with the State
Department’s “Elementary Education
Suggestive Outline for Social Studies” (Wilson,
1941). General connections between the topics
covered both in the broadcasts and the
elementary school social studies curriculum are
also presented.

Findings in Relation Stories Plus
Broadcasts Themes

The first content analysis of Stories Plus
broadcasts revealed that twenty-six lessons were
regularly aired each year of the program. Stories
Plus programs began in the first week of
October and continued weekly until mid-April;
a two-week break was observed around the
Christmas Holiday season (Woods, 1940, p. 20;
Woods, 1941, p. 24).

The content analysis also revealed that
the organizers of the Stories Plus program
regularly chose to broadcast stories that
coordinated with national holidays. Stories such
as, “Our Pilgrim Fathers”, for example, were
aired close to the Thanksgiving holiday, while
stories such as, “The Christmas Nightingale”
and the “Red Glass Bowl” were aired closer to
the Christmas holiday. Other stories coordinated
with national holidays included the “Legend of
Sleepy Hollow” (Halloween), “Columbus Sails”
(Columbus Day), and “Father of Our Country”
(George Washington’s Birthday) (Woods,1940;
Woods, 1941).

Another consistent pattern among the
types of broadcasts aired in Stories Plus were
stories that featured historical figures. Nine out
of fifty-two of the Stories Plus broadcasts
addressed either the biographies or the
“accomplishments” of specific individuals from
the past. Some of the historical figures
referenced in these broadcasts included, Sam
Houston, George Washington, and Simón
Bolivar. The nine broadcasts referencing
historical figures can be found in Table 3.

Table 3 Stories Plus Broadcasts Featuring Historical Figures
Title of the Broadcast Date Aired Referenced Historical Figure
The Gentleman Commander January 31, 1941 Robert E. Lee
Daniel Boone February 10, 1941 Daniel Boone
A Cowboy’s Discovery February 24, 1941 James Larkin White (Jim White)
Six Feet Six March 3, 1941 Sam Houston
Columbus Sails October 13, 1941 Christopher Columbus
A Tale of Sergeant York November 10, 1941 Alvin C. York
A Dutch Boy Fifty Years After February 2, 1942 Edward Bok
Father of Our Country February 23, 1942 George Washington
The Liberator March 30, 1942 Simon Bolivar
(Woods, 1940; Woods, 1941)



59

Stories that incorporated animal
characters, either real or fictitious, composed
another “type” of frequently aired broadcasts in
the Stories Plus Program. Ten of the fifty-two
Stories Plus broadcasts incorporated stories with
animal characters that played significant roles in
the narrative of the story. One broadcast, that
incorporated an animal character with a large
narrative role, was entitled, “High Water”
(January 26, 1941). “High Water” was the story
of a community’s plight in rescuing a donkey

named Mexico from the dangers of rising
floodwaters. Mexico was a stubborn donkey,
and on the day of the flood, he decided to balk.
The other characters of the story, at first,
laughed at Mexico’s stubbornness, but soon
committed themselves towards saving his life,
despite the serious risks involved (Wood, 1941,
p. 39). A complete list of the broadcasts that
incorporated animal characters, with significant
narrative roles, can be found in Table 4.

Table 4
Stories Plus Broadcasts with Animal Characters Playing Significant Narrative Roles
Title of the Broadcast Date Aired Animal
Greyfriars’s Bobby October 14, 1940 Dog
The Jungle Book January 6, 1941 Wolves, Tiger, & Bear
The Pet Elephant January 20, 1941 Elephant
The Story of Lil’ Hannibal January 27, 1941 Possum
Wind in the Willows March 10, 1941 Mole, Rat, Badger & Toad
The Yearling March 26, 1941 Dear
Expedition to the North Pole April 7, 1941 Bear, Donkey, Pig, Tiger,

Rabbit, Kangaroo
Lassie Come Home October 6, 1941 Dog
High Water January 26, 1942 Donkey
The Cat Who Went to Heaven March 9, 1942 Cat
(Woods, 1940; Woods, 1941)

Findings Related to Morals, Discussion
Questions and Activities of Stories Plus
Programs

The second content analysis, of the
Stories Plus program of the Texas School of the
Air, examined the “stated morals'”, discussion
questions, and extension activities of each of the
fifty-two broadcasts. In this analysis, patterns in
terms of reoccurring morals, and the types of
questions and activities surrounding the
broadcasts were evaluated.

Findings in Relation to the “Stated Morals” of
Stories Plus Broadcasts

The content analysis of the “stated”
morals for each of the Stories Plus broadcasts
reveals that there were a number of reoccurring
morals that organizers of the Stories Plus
program thought students should learn

“pertaining to good citizenship”. The recurring
morals that appeared in the broadcasts can
“generally” be classified as,

● Serving the country or local community
● Having self-determination and

perseverance in situations of uncertainty or
adversity

● Displaying kindness and providing aid to
others

● Caring for animals in a responsible manner
● Working hard and contributing to group

efforts
● Recognizing the values of “virtuous”

family life

Although each of the broadcast came equipped
with an “outlined moral” for students to learn,
more than one “moral to the story” was



60

illustrated by the stories. A number of the
broadcasts, for example, could “easily” teach
students two or more of the previously listed
morals. The broadcast entitled “Forest Fire”
(October 7, 1940) is a good example of this
occurrence, as the main character Molly both
serves her local community and perseveres
through adversity by maintaining a “clear-mind”
when alerting and assisting firefighters in
extinguishing a forest fire (Woods, 1940).

Findings in Relation to the Discussion
Questions for Stories Plus Broadcasts

The analysis of the discussion questions,
for each of the Stories Plus broadcasts (156 in
total), reveals that there were generally three
types of questions that organizers of the Stories
Plus program thought teachers should ask their
students in order to further the educational
discussions surrounding the radio broadcasts.
The types of questions were ones that either,
assessed student listening comprehension, asked
students to make and defend moral judgments or
prompted students to provide their opinion on
the content discussed in the stories.

Questions that assessed student listening
comprehension generally asked students to
recall specific events, objects, or feelings
contained within the broadcasts. In the
broadcast entitled “Ann Mary” (November 25,
1940) for example, the assessment of student
listening comprehension can be seen when
students were asked questions such as, “How
did Ann Mary show that she loved her
grandma?”, “Can you name three incidents
when Ann Mary showed self-control?”, and
“When do you think she [Ann Mary] understood
the true meaning of Thanksgiving?”. In this
broadcast, students displayed their
comprehension of the narrative by recalling
specific actions completed by the main character,
Ann Mary. This type of question could be found
in nearly every lesson within the Stories Plus
series.

Of the three types of questions created
for teachers to use in the classroom, questions
that asked students to make and defend moral
judgments appeared the least frequently. These

questions generally related to events or
situations in the stories where the actions of the
characters needed to be justified. In the
broadcast entitled, “The Yearling” (March 24,
1941), for example, students were asked
whether or not it was wrong of Jody to shoot the
deer that he had developed a deep attachment to,
despite the deer’s continual destruction of
Jody’s crops. In this situation, students were
encouraged to make and defend a difficult moral
decision; should the persistent destructive
actions of a loved one be tolerated or should that
relationship be sacrificed in order to achieve a
resolution to a larger problem. Questions that
asked students to make and defend moral
judgments such as the one presented in “The
Yearling”, were seldom suggested.

Questions that prompted students to
“provide their own opinion” on the content
discussed in the stories included a range of
evaluative questions. Evaluative questions
commonly encouraged students to either
evaluate the actions of characters, the situations
in their own lives that related to the story, or the
actions that they may have made if presented
with a similar situation. Evaluative questions
that prompted students to provide their own
opinion on the content discussed within each
story could be found in nearly every broadcast.
Examples of these types of questions included;
“Is a clown ever important to anyone?”
(“Boum-Boum”), “Would you have been brave
enough to save the colors?” (“Saving the
Colors”) and “What toting can you do for you
mammy and pappy?” (“Lil’ Hannibal”).

Findings in Relation to the Extension
Exercises for Stories Plus Broadcasts

In the analysis of the suggested
extension activities for the Stories Plus
broadcasts, a total of 140 activities were
identified and evaluated. In the analysis of the
140 activities, eleven different types of
suggested extension activities emerged. The
extension activities included tasks encouraging
students to read or study more about the topic,
find and share correlating visual aids and go on
field trips to places such as the zoo or local



61

grocery store. Although eleven types of
extension activities were suggested for teachers
to use in their classrooms, activities that
encouraged students to study or read more about
the topic were recommended most frequently
and were suggested a total of 31 out of 140
times. Examples of the other ten types of
suggested extension activities, and the

frequency of their suggested use in Story Plus
broadcasts, are shown in Table 5.

The suggestions were designed to extend
and support academic growth, excellence and
connections to society. Young children’s need
for activity and movement is also reflected in
the suggestions.

Table 5
Examples and Frequencies of the Eleven Different Types of Suggested Extension Activities

Type of Extension Activity Frequency Example Broadcast
Title

Date Aired

Encouraged students to
study or to read more about
the topic

31 “Read other stories about
Lil' Hannibal”

The Story of Lil'
Hannibal

January 27,
1941

Encouraged students to
make something related to
the broadcast

24 “Make a big United States
flag like Rebecca did”

Saving the
Colors

November 4,
1940

Encouraged either students
or teachers to tell
additional stories or
discussions.

15 “Tell a true story of camp
life”

Wishes are
Horses

April 14, 1941

Encouraged students to
host or partake in events

13 “Have a dog show” Greyfriars’s
Bobby

October 14,
1940

Encouraged students to
complete geography-based
tasks

12 “Locate the National Parks
on the United States
Maps”

A Cowboy's
Discovery

February 24,
1941

Encouraged students to
watch movies

11 “See the moving picture of
Sergeant York's life”

A Tale of
Sergeant York

November 10,
1941

Encouraged students to
make a list of objects

9 “Make a list of the great
pioneers”

Daniel Boone February 10,
1941

Encouraged students to go
on field trips

8 “Visit the zoo to watch the
jungle beasts as described
by Kipling”

The Jungle Book January 6,
1941

Encouraged students to
complete service-based
tasks

8 “Send some clothes or
money to the Red Cross so
that they may help people
whose home are in the
paths of the floods”

High Waters January 26,
1942

Encouraged students to
locate visual aids

6 “Bring pictures of the
missions of San Antonio
to school”

Seraphina Todd April 13, 1942

Encouraged students to
sing, learn or collect songs

3 “Collect old Cowboy
songs that your father or
mother remembers
hearing”

Pecos Bill April 20, 1942



62

Findings Related to Stories Plus’s
Supplementing the Public-School
Curriculum

In order to further determine how the
Stories Plus programs were designed to be both
“educationally and socially desirable”, a third
content analysis was performed. This analysis
examined whether or not there was a correlation
between the topics presented in the Stories Plus
broadcasts and the State Department’s
suggestive outline” for elementary social
studies” (Wilson, 1941). The Elementary
Education Suggestive Outline (Wilson, 1941)
provides, to teachers and school districts, an
outline of what could be taught in the subject of
social studies for each grade. Examples of some
social studies topics to be covered in Texas
elementary schools are found in Table 6, below.

In analyzing the Stories Plus broadcasts
using the social studies topics suggested in the

State Department’s suggested course of study
for elementary school social studies, the writers
of the Stories Plus programs did attempt to
coordinate with the state’s suggested course of
study by including topics such as animals,
community helpers and community provisions,
holidays, and people in the home. Examples of
how the Stories Plus broadcasts coordinated
with the State Department’s suggested course of
study for elementary school social studies can
be found in Table 7.

These tables provide an idea of the
topics and activities the script authors
recommended as being appropriate for teachers
to use as they engaged their students in listening
to the School of The Air broadcasts. A review
of the morals and connections to the state course
of study suggests that the Department of
Education saw the program as a valuable
resource for teachers.

Table 6
Examples of Social Studies Topics To Be Covered in Texas Elementary Schools, Grades One Through
Four
First & Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade
Area of Focus: Area of Focus: Area of Focus:
School and Home Life Community Life Expanded Community Life
Topics Relating to School
and Home Life:

Topics Relating to Community
Life:

Topics Relating to Expanded
Community Life

School Environments Provisions and Preparation of
Foods

Community protection of Health, Life
and Property

People in the Home Preparation and Care of
Clothing

Mercantile Business

Keeping House Provisions for Shelter –
Buildings

Manufacturing Industries

Pets Community Helpers Agricultural Industries
Animals Provisions for Recreation Transportation
Outdoors Animals Weather
Amusements Plants Animals and Plant Life of the

Community
Tools and Construction Books Primitive People
Sources of Food Weather Holiday and Seasonal Activities
Preparations of Food Transportation
Clothing Communication
Books
(Wilson, 1941, p. 27-32)



63

Table 7
Examples of Suggested Social Studies Topics Covered in Stories Plus Programs
Morals Found Within
Stories Plus Programs

Correlating Topics and
Grade from State
Course of Study

Example from Stories
Plus Program

Date Aired

Serving the country or
local community

Community Helpers
(3rd) and Community
Protection (4tth)

Forest Fire October 7, 1940

Having self-
determination and
perseverance in
situations of
uncertainty or adversity

People in the Home (1st
& 2nd)

Ann Mary November 25, 1940

Displaying kindness
and providing aid to
others

People in the Home (1st
and 2nd) and
Community protection
of Health, Life and
Property

Boum-Boum October 21, 1940

Caring for animals in a
responsible manner

Animals (2nd) and
Animals and Plant Life
of the Community.

High Water January 26, 1942

Working hard and
contributing to group
efforts

Provisions and
Preparation of Foods &
Shelter (3rd) and Plant
Life of the Community
(4th)

Robin On The
Mountain

October 28, 1940

Recognizing the values
of “virtuous” family
life

People in the Home (1st
& 2nd) and Holidays

The Red Glass Bowl December 16, 1940

(Woods, 1940; Wilson, 1941; Woods, 1941)

Conclusion
After analyzing and interpreting the

Stories Plus broadcasts, and their subsequent
“stated” morals, discussion questions, and
extension activities, more is understood about
how the Stories Plus programs of the Texas
School of the Air were designed to be both
“educationally and socially desirable”. The

Stories Plus program delivered “socially
desirable” radio broadcasts through teaching
elementary school students morals pertaining to
“good citizenship”. Through listening to
broadcasts, students were presented with
opportunities to learn that “good citizens” often,
selflessly serve their country or local
communities, determinedly persevere in



64

situations of uncertainty or adversity, frequently
provide kindness and aid to others, responsibly
care for animals, continuously work hard and
contribute to group efforts, and endlessly play a
role in upholding the family. Stories Plus
broadcasts such as “A Tale of Sergeant York”
(November 10, 1941), exemplified many of
these morals, as students learned not only about
York’s heroic efforts in the battle of Meuse-
Argonne but also about his “kindness” in
donating his gifts towards the education of the
men and women living within the mountain
communities of Tennessee (Woods, 1941, 31).

The Stories Plus program also delivered
“educationally desirable” radio broadcasts by
providing teachers with provocative discussion
questions and engaging extension activities. The
discussion questions that teachers could use
often assessed student comprehension, called for
student input and even encouraged students to
make moral decisions. Through using these
questions, teachers could further the educational
discussions surrounding the radio broadcasts
and could challenge student thinking. An
example of a discussion question that
challenged student thinking and required
students to make a moral decision can be found
in the broadcast lesson “Forest Fire” (October 7,
1940). After listening to a broadcast about a
woman who sped into town to rouse men to
fight a fire, students were asked the difficult
question of whether or not the woman was
justified in breaking the speed limit in order to
warn the authorities about the fire. Through
using this question in the classroom, students
could discuss how to conduct themselves in an
emergency and could discuss larger topics such
as, “when, if ever, is it okay to disobey a law”.

The extension activities that teachers
could use, also contributed to broadcasts’
success in being “educationally desirable”. The
extension activities were designed to broaden a
student’s understanding of the topics discussed
in the broadcasts. Through actively participating
in activities such as finding visual aids,
watching films, and partaking in community
service projects, students could have the
opportunity to learn more about the topics

covered in the broadcast on their own. In the
broadcast lesson entitled “A Cowboys
Discovery” (February 24, 1941), for example,
students were encouraged to learn more about
National Parks through locating other parks on a
map of the United States (Woods, 1940, p. 34).
In completing this activity, students learned
where other National Parks were located in the
country and where those parks were located in
relation to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park
that was discussed in the broadcasts.

In this analysis, it was also evident that
the Stories Plus program of the Texas School of
the Air attempted to coordinate with the state
“Suggested Course of Study for Elementary
School Social Studies”. The Stories Plus
broadcasts commonly addressed the elementary
social studies topics of animals, national
holidays, and community members. Therefore,
teachers wishing to utilize the radio as an
educational medium in their classroom could do
so with peace of mind, knowing that Stories
Plus broadcasts coordinated with the state’s
elementary social studies curriculum.

The Texas School of the Air ran for 14
years, and during its final years of production,
the Department of Education began to make
master tapes for Texas School of the Air
programs through the Texas School of the Air
and Tapes project (Hill, 1997). Under the Texas
School of the Air and Tapes project, thousands
of programs were transferred to tapes provided
by local schools. Although much is unknown
about the demise of the Texas School of the Air,
the Texas School of the Air and Tapes projects
appears to be a contributor to its termination, as
schools began to accumulate taped programs in
the construction of audio libraries (Hill, 1997).
Hill (1997) also suggests that the demise of the
Texas School of the air could be additionally
attributed to the rise of television writing that
due to the rising interest in television, “radio
education lost much of its early appeal” (p. 65).

While this analysis offers clarity in
regard to what was presented in one of the
Texas School of the Air programs, Stories Plus,
and how they were designed to be
“educationally and socially desirable,” further



65

research surrounding the Texas School of the
Air is needed. Additionally, despite the Stories
Plus program’s ability to deliver “suitable
programs” that met the educational needs of
Texas children, it was only one of the four
Texas School of the Air programs. The Stories
Plus program only aired for two years, before it
was redesigned and renamed Your Story Parade.
Therefore, in order to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of the content
presented in the Texas School of the Air, other
programs such as, Open Your Eyes, Reading in
Adventure, Jobs Ahead, Musical Texas, and
Your Story Parade, should also be examined.
The Texas School of the Air programs served
Texas children and teachers for fourteen years
and were heard by thousands of listeners. The
programs of the Texas School of the Air
influenced the education of Texans and the
extent of this influence should continue to be
explored, especially within the large scope of
radio education in the United States.

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