A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door

Across the U.S., state legislatures–often under the cover of darkness, and usually in spite of public opposition–are passing bills that channel public dollars to private schools. These voucher schemes promise to transfer billions from state treasuries to upper-income families. But that's just the start. Opponents of public schools want to dismantle the public education system entirely. Outrageous and unfounded attacks on the schools–about Critical Race Theory, "gender ideology," and "grooming"–are all part of a broader strategy to sow doubt and distrust. This is the end game.

Where books like Jane Mayer’s Dark Money and Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains sounded a clear warning about the influence that right-wing plutocrats exert over American politics, historian Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire turn our attention to the schools. Why, they ask, is the right so fixated on dismantling public education? Tracing the war on public education from its origins, A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door offers the deep backstory necessary to understand the threat presently posed to America’s schools. Presenting a clear view of the ideology motivating this assault, the book also maps the future–outlining how current policy efforts will reshape the educational landscape and remake American democracy.