They came for the schools : one town's fight over race and identity, and the new war for America's classrooms / Mike Hixenbaugh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hixenbaugh, Mike (Journalist), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education--Texas--Southlake--History.

Education.

Racism--Texas--Southlake--History.

Racism.

Conservatism--United States.

Conservatism.

Education--United States.

Physical Description:

viii, 277 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Mariner Books, [2024]

Summary:

"Award-winning journalist Mike Hixenbaugh delivers the immersive and eye-opening story of Southlake, Texas, a district that seemed to offer everything parents would want for their children--small classes, dedicated teachers, financial resources, a track record of academic success, and school spirit in abundance. But after a series of racist incidents became public, a plan to promote inclusiveness was proposed in response--and a coordinated, well-funded conservative backlash erupted, lighting the fire of a national movement on the verge of changing the face of public schools across the country. They Came for the Schools pulls back the curtain on the powerful forces driving this crusade to ban books, rewrite curricula, limit rights for minority and LGBTQ students--and, most importantly, to win what Hixenbaugh's deeply informed reporting convinces is the holy grail among those seeking to impose biblical values on American society: school privatization, one school board and one legal battle at a time. They Came for the Schools delivers an essential take on Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, as they demean public schools and teachers and boost the Christian right's vision. Hixenbaugh brings to light fascinating connections between this political and cultural moment and past fundamentalist campaigns to censor classroom lessons. Finally, They Came for the Schools traces the rise of a new resistance movement led by a diverse coalition of student activists, fed-up educators, and parents who are beginning to win select battles of their own: a blueprint, they hope, for gaining inclusive and civil schools for all"--Dust jacket flap.

Contents:

Prologue

Part I: Suburban dreamland. Perfect City, U.S.A

You've got to change

Not just a word

Everything imploded

Part II: Building the army. Coming to a town near you

Existential threat

One election away

Blowout

The Southlake playbook

The parents are our clients

Part III: So goes America. Christianity will have power

Seven mountains

The Florida blueprint

I lost my son

The holy grail

It still mattered

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-264) and index.

ISBN:

9780063307247

0063307243

OCLC:

1394061728