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"Finally, we have a book that identifies women teachers at the center of the greatest social and labor reform movements of the twentieth century. In this book, Patricia Carter asks us to rethink the history of education to include women teachers' broad vision of the school as the locus of social justice and civic equity."
–Kate Rousmaniere, Miami University, Ohio"Patricia Carter provides a timely portrait of teachers as feminists, as women activists, and as workers in a twentieth century world. She causes her readers to think about teachers in novel ways, giving them an agency and autonomy that many scholars have ignored."
–Wayne J. Urban, Georgia State University
A captivating history of American women teachers!
Presenting a comprehensive look at twentieth-century collaborations between female teachers and the women's movement, this volume highlights the feminist ideologies, strategies, and rationales pursued by teachers in search of better workplaces. Carter chronicles the evolution of rights for female teachers, covering such important social and economic topics as suffrage, equal pay for equal work, the right to marry and take maternity leaves, access to administrative positions, the right to lobby and bargain collectively, and the right to participate in political and social reform movements outside the workplace.
A vivid account of the leadership roles teachers played in the women's movement, this book clarifies the importance of feminist ideologies in shaping the strategies and rationales educators used to transform their profession. This book is a bold contribution to the history of working women.
