The papers of Elizabeth Giese have been divided into six series: Biographical File, PEER Files, Subject Files, Legal Cases on Sex Discrimination, Women's Rights Organizations, Math and Science, and Vocational Education. The bulk of the material in this collection relates to the activities of Michigan PEER. However, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish materials related to Giese's role as a citizen, activist and consultant from materials collected in her official capacity as an employee of Michigan PEER. The organization of the collection occasionally reflects this fact. Some of the series, and some individual files, are organized around particular subjects, rather than Giese's professional or personal activities.
Born in 1943, Elizabeth Giese received her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Michigan in 1964 and an M.A. degree in Occupational Administration from Ferris State College in 1986. After teaching at the elementary and preschool levels, Giese accepted a position as the first director of the Michigan Project on Equal Education Rights (PEER) in 1978.
PEER was organized in 1974 by the National Organization for Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund to lobby for the enforcement of Title IX and other regulations relating to sex equity in the schools. In 1978, PEER applied for and received a grant from the Mott Foundation to set up a pilot project in Michigan to create a model which other states might follow. The result of this effort was a manual for state PEER organizations called Organizing for Change based largely on the experience of Michigan PEER.
Headquartered in Milford, Michigan, PEER's primary mission was to organize and support local branches of PEER, which would then advocate gender equity in education at the town, district or county level. These local groups used a variety of tactics directed at teachers, school boards, and administrators. For the most part, cooperation and communication were their preferred methods. In addition, the groups used surveys, interviews and other data collection instruments to measure local compliance with Title IX and increase awareness of gender inequality in education.
In support of local groups, Michigan PEER offered workshops and provided a wide variety of information resources. In addition to distributing basic manuals on organizing and collecting data, Michigan PEER operated a clearinghouse of materials related to sex equity in education. Periodically, PEER coordinated large data collection projects which involved some or all of the local groups. Most prominently, in 1980, every local PEER group in Michigan compiled a report on teacher attitudes and Title IX compliance within their school district. The state office synthesized the local results into a widely publicized document entitled You See the Cat Walking. Several subjects were of special interest to PEER: the teaching of math and science, vocational education and training, and school athletics. Finally, the Michigan PEER office was active in using media outlets to publicize its activities and research.
At the state level, Michigan PEER played a crucial role in a network of individuals and organizations interested in issues relating to women and education. The Coalition for Non-Sexist Education, and the Office of Sex Equity in Education were the most prominent among several such groups in Michigan. PEER's advisory board, made up of prominent citizens and activists, also served an important function in this network. In addition to supporting community groups, these groups cooperated at the state level to promote change through the legislature, the courts, the Department of Education, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
After leaving PEER in 1984, Giese served as a consultant to the Michigan Department of Labor's Bureau of Vocational Education and the Michigan Department of Education (where she had consulted since 1980). In 1987, she accepted an appointment as the director of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and beginning in 1989, Giese chaired the National Organization for Women's Education Task Force. In 1990, the Task Force initiated a successful lawsuit in conjunction with the Michigan ACLU against the Detroit School Board, which had proposed all-male academies in Detroit.
