Series I documents the management and organization of the Bradley Commission from its inception in the mid-1980s through the publication and publicity of its guidelines for history education. The series includes all incoming and outgoing correspondence as well as internal memos, funding applications, and meeting minutes. It also contains articles on relevant topics that the commissioners used as background materials and models for their work.

Series II contains the surveys that the commission sent to hundreds of elementary and secondary social studies and history teachers. They asked teachers about their experiences in teacher training, how much history instruction their students received, the obstacles they faced, and their recommendations for future improvements in the field. The series also includes the results of the survey and reports and presentations of the data.

Series III documents the results of the Bradley Commission's project through materials related to its publications, press, and symposia at which its results were discussed. There were two main publications from the commission, which are represented in the collection. Their 1988 guidelines for history education were the formal results of their investigation. The collection includes those published guidelines alongside drafts, reports, and reviews. In 1989 they also published a book titled Historical Literacy: The Case for American Education with essays from most of the commissioners. Drafts of each chapter, and the final publication, are contained in the collection as well. The commission also publicized its recommendations through two symposia in 1990, one for World History and one for American History. These are documented through administrative planning materials and videos of the conference sessions. In addition to these materials, series III contains press clippings about the commission and its work. Materials from specific publications or events are grouped together.