Lessons from the Heartland

"In a magisterial work of narrative nonfiction that weaves together the racially fraught history of public education in Milwaukee and the broader story of hypersegregation in the rust belt, Lessons from the Heartland tells of an iconic city's fall from grace-and of its chance for redemption in the twenty first century. In the early months of 2011, Wisconsin became central to the fight to save America's middle class and its public institutions, in particular public education. Across America, progressives embraced the slogan 'We Are Wisconsin.' All politics are local, but with unending repercussions the Milwaukee story is the Wisconsin story, which is the nation's story. This book tells that story. Lessons from the Heartland focuses on public education reforms--from vouchers and charter schools to desegregation and choice-to explore larger issues of race and class in our democracy. Miner (whose daughters went through the Milwaukee public school system and who is a former Milwaukee Journal reporter) brings a journalist's eye and a parent's heart to exploring the intricate ways that jobs, housing, and schools intersect, underscoring the intrinsic link between the future of public education and the dreams and hopes of democracy in a multicultural society. This book will change the way we think about the possibility and promise of public education"--