Thread by @ashleyhopeperez

Enjoying the solo-travel no-kids-to-wrangle spa vibes at DFW airport and feeling a little thread-y, so here goes some thinking...

I've been thinking about the pattern that's emerged in the most recent chapter of conservatives' relentless efforts to undermine public schools. The pattern is painfully clear, but it doesn't make headlines. We need it to make headlines.

Some of the positions conservatives have latched onto:

1. Demand in-person schooling.
2. Oppose pub health measures to make in-person schooling safer (masks, vax).
3. Oppose anything related to diversity & inclusion
4. Oppose teaching of honest & complete history (anti-CRT).

More education issues we have seen conservatives create :

5. Seek bans on books deemed "inappropriate" (esp. LGBTQ or non-white content)
6. Oppose youth access to LGBTQ & mental health information (websites, books), school counselors, & social and emotional learning supports.

Parents crusading for any of these issues may not intend to destroy their kids' education; they may think they're "reforming" it to ensure that (only) their values are reflected. But the politicians & conservative groups stoking the fire want to see public schools crash & burn.

What many conservative education "issues" (talking points) have in common is the logic of subtraction, removal: get rid of masks, get rid of CRT, get rid of "bad" books, get rid of LGBTQ-affirming & trauma-informed teaching practices, get rid of school counselors...

Beyond the harm that these attacks on schools do individually, they reinforce a powerful, pernicious narrative: that the problem of our public schools is one of "too much" rather than "not enough." That we can improve education JUST by cutting certain things out.

It's a story that doesn't engage with what it takes to run schools or teach kids. Conservatives score points just by being AGAINST something; they rarely offer any positive vision for what should be done in schools.

The general perception, at least in conservative media circles, that there is "too much" in schools encourages public acceptance of underfunding, indifference to staffing shortages, passivity in the face of school bond failures, and so on.

But any teacher knows that it's not too much we're dealing with, it's not enough--not enough resources, not enough time to prepare, not enough pay...

So how do public school advocates get the attention of the big, moderate "middle" group of parents? More importantly, how do we help them take notice of what THEIR kids stand to lose from all these subtractions?

How do we cultivate a sense of urgency around preserving the **modest** progress we have made in creating more just and inclusive educational spaces? Around teacher pay? Around meaningful teaching of history?

How do we help these folks see that their kids’ schools are under attack and that these attacks position teachers and librarians as enemies rather than allies, and that this hurts their kid’s education?

How do we get out their with a clear, simple message of support for an inclusive education when media outlets inevitably amplify conflict-seeking “anti” antics rather than balanced pro-school efforts?

These are not rhetorical questions. I want to orient myself and others toward concrete action—so I’m welcoming suggestions. I think especially the question of how to frame a positive message that can nevertheless name what’s going on.

(Conveniently, my flight is taking off, so I’ll leave others to solve it all while I’m in the air!)