Don Cameron retired as executive director of the National Education Association (NEA) in 2002, a position he had held since 1983. He was a staff member for the Birmingham Educational Association and later the Michigan Education Association.

Don Cameron has written a firsthand account of how and why America's teachers organized and unionized. His description of the status of teachers prior to the teacher revolution of the 1960s and '70s, particularly in Michigan, is compelling and accurate. No less revealing is his characterization of how the National Education Association haltingly handled the education reform movement during the 1980s after publication of President Reagan's Nation at Risk report and the failed merger attempt between NEA and its rival, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The stories are informative and bursting to be told.

• Part 1 PrefacePart 2 AcknowledgmentsChapter 3 1 Taking Public Education for GrantedChapter 4 2 The Unprofession of TeachingChapter 5 3 Rudely AwakenedChapter 6 4 The Factoryizing of EducationChapter 7 5 The Anvil of DemocracyChapter 8 6 Can't Get No Respect!Chapter 9 7 Tenure Anyone?Chapter 10 8 A Century of Tea and CrumpetsChapter 11 9 The Hundred-Dollar MistakeChapter 12 10 The Michigan Education AssociationChapter 13 11 Unionization In, Administrators OutChapter 14 12 Black and White TogetherChapter 15 13 The Revolution Engulfs NEAChapter 16 14 Taking a Walk in FloridaChapter 17 15 NEA and AFT ClashChapter 18 16 The New York and Florida TangoChapter 19 17 Off to TallahasseeChapter 20 18 Off to WashingtonChapter 21 19 The Politics of EducationChapter 22 20 Meritless PayChapter 23 21 NEA and AFT: An Urge to MergeChapter 24 22 New UnionismChapter 25 23 The Quest to Privatize EducationChapter 26 24 Some Thoughts about the FuturePart 27 IndexPart 28 About the Author

Don Cameron retired as executive director of the National Education Association (NEA) in 2002, a position he had held since 1983. He was a staff member for the Birmingham Educational Association and later the Michigan Education Association.

Don Cameron has written a firsthand account of how and why America's teachers organized and unionized. His description of the status of teachers prior to the teacher revolution of the 1960s and '70s, particularly in Michigan, is compelling and accurate. No less revealing is his characterization of how the National Education Association haltingly handled the education reform movement during the 1980s after publication of President Reagan's Nation at Risk report and the failed merger attempt between NEA and its rival, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The stories are informative and bursting to be told.

• Part 1 PrefacePart 2 AcknowledgmentsChapter 3 1 Taking Public Education for GrantedChapter 4 2 The Unprofession of TeachingChapter 5 3 Rudely AwakenedChapter 6 4 The Factoryizing of EducationChapter 7 5 The Anvil of DemocracyChapter 8 6 Can't Get No Respect!Chapter 9 7 Tenure Anyone?Chapter 10 8 A Century of Tea and CrumpetsChapter 11 9 The Hundred-Dollar MistakeChapter 12 10 The Michigan Education AssociationChapter 13 11 Unionization In, Administrators OutChapter 14 12 Black and White TogetherChapter 15 13 The Revolution Engulfs NEAChapter 16 14 Taking a Walk in FloridaChapter 17 15 NEA and AFT ClashChapter 18 16 The New York and Florida TangoChapter 19 17 Off to TallahasseeChapter 20 18 Off to WashingtonChapter 21 19 The Politics of EducationChapter 22 20 Meritless PayChapter 23 21 NEA and AFT: An Urge to MergeChapter 24 22 New UnionismChapter 25 23 The Quest to Privatize EducationChapter 26 24 Some Thoughts about the FuturePart 27 IndexPart 28 About the Author