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Helen Oakes Papers
Notifications
Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Helen Oakes has studied and been involved in the Philadelphia school system since the 1960s. She played active roles in many organizations committed to improving and restoring public education including the Citizens Committee on Public Education in Philadelphia and the West Philadelphia Schools Committee. Oakes was appointed to the Board of Education in Philadelphia in 1982 and served as a member until 1989. While on the Board of Education, she worked as a member of the Desegregation Task Force and the Task Force on Teacher Selection. Mrs. Oakes also wrote and published The Oakes Newsletter for nineteen years from 1970 to 1989.
This collection contains records related to Helen Oakes' work with the School District of Philadelphia, including minutes, financial records, and subject files containing information such as statistical reports; children's health programs; teacher contracts; test scores; parent's union organizations; individual schools; and goals and plans.
The collection is arranged into 2 series as follows:
- Series 1: Accession 707, 1960-1989
- Subseries 1.1: Board Meeting Materials, 1967-1989
- Subseries 1.2: Correspondence, 1979-1989
- Subseries 1.3: Subject Files, 1946-1990, undated
- Subseries 1.4: Publications, 1961-1989, undated
- Subseries 1.5: Oakes Newsletter, 1968-1990
- Subseries 1.6: News Clippings, 1962-1988
- Subseries 1.7: Home and School Council, 1961-1966
- Subseries 1.8: Citizens Committee on Public Education in Philadelphia, 1962-1982
- Subseries 1.9: Overbrook High School, 1968-1975, undated
- Subseries 1.10: Board Meeting Materials (Restricted), 1981-1989, undated
- Subseries 1.11: Subject Files, Individuals (Restricted), 1981-1989
- Series 2: Accession 773, 1958-1992
- Subseries 2.1: Board of Education, 1986-1989
- Subseries 2.2: Publications, 1970-1990, undated
- Subseries 2.3: Subject Files, 1958-1992, undated
Accession 707 was donated by Helen Oakes, December 1, 1989. Accession 773 was donated by Helen Oakes, October 13, 1993.
Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy. Certain digital files may also be inaccessible. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in March 2013 by Katy Rawdon, Coordinator of Technical Services. Finding aid revised in May 2019 by Courtney Smerz, Collection Management Archivist, to correct collection inventory.
People
Organization
Subject
- Public schools--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Public schools--United States--Statistics
- Women in education
- Philadelphia Public Schools
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- June 2025
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research. There are materials in Subseries 1.10, 1.11, and 2.3 that are restricted for 75 years from the date of creation. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Helen Oakes Papers are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Temple University holds literary rights only for material created by university employees and to material given to the university with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
43.5 Linear Feet
Subseries 1.1: Board Meeting Materials, includes agendas, resolutions, reports and other materials submitted for meetings of the Board of Education. Includes some manuscript notes. Arranged by date.
Subseries 1.2: Correspondence, contains miscellaneous correspondence filed by correspondent name.
folder 1
folder 2
folder 1
folder 3
folder 4
folder 1
folder 2
folder 1
folder 2
folder 1
folder 2
folder 1
folder 2
folder 1
folder 2
Subseries 1.3: Subject Files, contains a variety of material filed by subject heading or title.
Folder 1
Folder 2
Subseries 1.4: Publications, contains mostly publications of the School District of Philadelphia, arranged by title. Non-School District publications have the publishing agency appended after the title.
Subseries 1.5: Oakes Newsletter, contains issues and indexes of the Newsletter, biographical material on Mrs. Oakes and her other publications.
folder #1
folder #2
folder #1
folder #2
4.5 Linear Feet
Subseries 2.1, Board of Education, consists of Board meeting minutes from 1986-1989, a 1989 Board Conference file, and the annual budget report from 1989.
Subseries 2.2, Publications, contains newsletters, both independent and those from the school district; journal publications; press releases from the Board of Education; reports from the Office of Research and Evaluation; Alternative Program Office publications; Advisory Council annual reports; and miscellaneous educational writings.
Subseries 2.3, Subject Files, makes up the bulk of the accession. Folders are arranged alphabetically and consist of a wide variety of educational files. The series covers the time period from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s.