Public schools have long been a battleground for the right. But since the Covid pandemic, the right has had the wind at its back, enlarging its ranks with parents frustrated by school closings and masking mandates. Education journalist Laura Pappano discusses how the far right has sowed panic over library books, gender neutral bathrooms, and the supposed teaching of Critical Race Theory — not just to take over school boards, but to cast doubt on the value of public education itself.
Resources:
Laura Pappano, Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Education Beacon Press, 2024