Scope and arrangement
This collection documents Alton Rison's administration at Junior High School 117 and the methods he used to improve teaching methods and increase accountability of student achievement levels in this inner city school in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1970s-1980s. The papers contain faculty memoranda, curricula, school board policies and those designed by Rison, statistics on achievement and percentage of pass/fail students, and documents pertaining to the effectiveness of different teaching systems. His annual "Daily Events" files contain memoranda, schedules, and reports for each day of the school year and summer sessions. Additional materials include daily "Cabinet Meeting" minutes (1982-1984) and yearbooks (1971-1986). The collection also documents the teacher/union/administration clashes that occurred as Rison implemented his plan. Also in this collection are Rison's writings which include his unpublished autobiography, "From School Chaos to Achievement (A True Story)", and scripts for his unpublished plays such as "In the Principal's Office", "In the Teacher's ", and "Oh Brooklyn, You're My Home!". Photocopies of reviews of his work as a principal and playwright, and posters from one of his plays, complete the collection.
The Alton Douglas Rison papers and additions are arranged in seven series:
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1975-1984
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1971-1986
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1974-1987
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1971-1985
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1971-1986