Join NCTE for a members-only virtual event with Mike Hixenbaugh, a senior investigative reporter for NBC News and author of They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms.
As Banned Books Week approaches and a new school year is underway, this book will provide additional insights into the state of public education through the story of Southlake, Texas. As a case study, Southlake reveals much about the current landscape of race, censorship, identity, and political forces affecting schools. Attendees will come away with greater insights into the polarized world of education and community and learn more about those working to create truly inclusive spaces in schools.
This event will be moderated by NCTE member leader Dr. Margaret Hale from the University of Houston.
Wednesday, September 18, 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET
Please contact profdev@ncte.org with any questions.
FEATURED GUESTS
Mike Hixenbaugh is a senior investigative reporter for NBC News, co-creator of the Southlake and Grapevine podcasts, and author of They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms.
Hixenbaugh’s reporting in recent years on the battles over race, gender, and sexuality in public schools won a Peabody Award and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
While working as a newspaper reporter in Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas, Hixenbaugh uncovered deadly failures in the US military, abuses in the child welfare system, and safety lapses at major hospitals, winning numerous national awards and triggering reforms aimed at saving lives and keeping families together.
His first book, They Came for the Schools—winner of the prestigious Lukas Work-in-Progress Award—was published by Mariner in May 2024.
Hixenbaugh lives in Maryland with his wife and four children.
Dr. Margaret Hale is a clinical professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston and executive director of the College of Education’s Professional Leadership EdD. She is a recognized expert on literacy issues, with a focus on middle grades and young adult readers, and is actively involved in creating opportunities to connect students with books and authors. As a former public school teacher at both the kindergarten and middle school levels, Hale’s current work builds upon her earlier experiences with teaching children to read and write and ensuring they continue to enjoy both as they enter middle and high school; to that end, she leads professional development opportunities for public school districts to demonstrate effective practices for teaching reading and writing. She has developed university courses on children’s literature and adolescent literature as well as a literacy leadership course for graduate students.