Prior to Sarah E. Raymond's Superintendency, schools in Bloomington Public Schools acted somewhat independently of one another, with each school having separate policies, curriculum, etc. Raymond summed it up as: "A course of study largely promulgated from term to term by word of mouth, was a hard one to catch."
Raymond quickly sought to establish cohesiveness throughout the district. As a result, her nearly 300-page Manual of Instruction was first published in 1876 as a district-wide guide that outlined rules and regulations for all employees and students, and most importantly, established a uniform curriculum throughout the district.
The Manual of Instruction to Teachers and Graded Course of Study of the Bloomington Public Schools was much sought after by superintendents throughout the country and world, as the Commissioner of Education of Brazil made a special trip to Bloomington to study Raymond's methods and results. The Manual of Instruction was reprinted in 1883 and 1887.
