Lessons From The Heartland

Barbara Miner has been a reporter, writer, and editor for almost forty years, writing for publications ranging from the New York Times to the Milwaukee Journal. The former managing editor of Rethinking Schools, she has co-edited numerous books on education, including Rethinking Columbus. Miner lives in Milwaukee.

• CONTENTSAcknowledgments ixIntroduction: Milwaukee, Public Schools, and the Fightfor America’s Future xiPart I. Segregation, Prosperity, and Protests: 1950s and 1960s1. The Glory Days of 1957 32. The 1950s: Milwaukee’s Black Community Comes of Age 163. 1964: Freedom Schools Come to Milwaukee 294. Milwaukee Loves George Wallace 415. Milwaukee’s Great Migration #1: Blacks Move from theSouth to the Inner Core 446. 1965: Direct Action Targets “Intact Busing” 487. 1967– 68: Open Housing Moves to Center Stage 61Part II. Desegregation, Deindustrialization, and Backlash:1970s and 1980s8. Brown and Milliken: The U.S. Supreme CourtAdvances and Retreats 719. January 19, 1976: The Court Rules—Milwaukee’s SchoolsAre Segregated 7610. September 7, 1976: The Buses Roll and Desegregation Begins 8811. 1981: Police Brutality Moves to Center Stage 10112. Milwaukee’s Great Migration #2: Whites Move tothe Suburbs 10813. The 1980s: Th e Rust Belt and Reaganomics 11414. Desegregation: Forward and Backward in the 1980s 12315. Latino Students: Moving Beyond Black and White 13816. Money: The Root of All Solutions 146Part III. Resegregation, Abandonment, and a New Era of Protest:1990s and 2000s17. 1990: Vouchers Pass, Abandonment Begins 15518. Voucher Crossfire: Fighting for the Soul ofPublic Education 17219. Multicultural Crossfi re: Redefi ning the PublicSchool Curriculum 17820. 1993– 95: White Voters Reject New Schools for BlackChildren, and Things Fall Apart 18821. 1995: Vouchers for Religious Schools,Abandonment Advances 19822. 1999: (Re)Segregation Déjà Vu—Neighborhood Schoolsand Open Enrollment 21723. Milwaukee’s Great Migration #3: Global ImmigrantsMake Milwaukee Their Home 23324. 2002–10: No Child Left Behind. Really? 23725. 2011: The Heartland Rises Up, and a New Era ofProtest Begins 250Notes 267Index 295

"Intensively, extensively, and specifically about the politics of public education in one American city, the issues Miner raises are of great importance to all those concerned with how our society educates its children."—Publishers Weekly"In her inimitable style, Barbara Miner has written an explosive educational biography of her hometown. The story of Milwaukee is really the multi-layered tale of how America has long avoided committing to the education of low-income students of color. A must read for anyone seeking the real back story of our educational policy-making."—Lisa Delpit, bestselling author of Multiplication Is for White People” and Other People’s Children"What a great read! Miner's story of Milwaukee is filled with memorable characters and powerful events that have national resonance. Through Milwaukee, she explores with consummate skill the dynamics of race, politics, and schools in our time."—Mike Rose, Professor of Social Research Methodology in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, author of Back to School, Why School and The Mind at Work"Lessons from the Heartland is a social history with the pulse and pace of a carefully crafted novel and a Dickensian cast of unforgettable characters. With the eye of an ethnographer, the instincts of a beat reporter, and the heart of a devoted mother and citizen activist, Miner has created a compelling portrait of a city, a time, and a people on the edge. This is essential reading."—Bill Ayers, author of To Teach: The Journey in Comics and Teaching Toward Freedom, co-editor of City Kids, City Schools“Miner eloquently captures the narratives of schoolchildren, parents, and teachers. . . . Readers in and around Wisconsin will especially find this title of interest, as will educators who wish to avoid Milwaukee’s pitfalls.”—Library Journal