Scope and Content This collection is unique to anyone interested in education reforms, social justice and teacher unionism in the 1960s and 1970s. Series 1: Personal and Work Related Files, 1959-1978. The series contains correspondence, obituary and tributes about Cheng, papers from classes Cheng took, work related materials at Harvard and UCLA, white papers, union records pertaining to organizing, desegregation, budgets, convention material and negotiations files. Of note are the files on the WTU and how he and...

Abstract Mary Ellen Riordan (1920-2010) was president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers from 1960-1981. In 1965, teachers and the school board signed their first contract, only the third teacher contract in the country. Riordan also guided the Detroit Federation of Teachers through three strikes, the Detroit Public Schools desegregation case Bradley v. Milliken, and agency fee case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In addition to her work with DFT, she served on the AFT Executive Council as...

Abstract The Schools of the 21st Century Corporation governed The Detroit Annenberg Challenge. The Annenberg Challenge provided $500 million in grants to organizations across the United States for the improvement of public schools. Schools for the 21st Century received a $20 million grant and set out to address the goals of increased student achievement, community and parent involvement, and collaboration with outside organizations. The Initiative's mission was to “Institutionalize bold, comprehensive...