Courageous Conversations About Our Schools Presents: Middie Rising

New Narrative Emerges in Middletown, OH, the city in J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy that had lost faith in the American Dream

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio, Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Middletown, Ohio, the Rust Belt city J.D. Vance characterized in 2016 as a decaying city that had lost faith in the American Dream, has emerged as a beacon of hope amidst national educational tensions. The new podcast series, "Middie Rising," highlights how Middletown's Black school superintendent Marlon Styles defused a potential culture war by listening to his critics and soliciting support from the city's "quiet majority" and its ministerial alliance. Styles' approach, which focuses on inclusivity and open dialogue, offers valuable lessons for schools nationwide.

Amanda Ripley, New York Times bestselling author, conflict expert, and participant in "Middie Rising" says, "I love this story because we desperately need examples of how people and communities manage to get out of dysfunctional conflict…the only way to learn is by finding these outliers of positive deviance, communities that managed not to implode in conflict and learn from what they did." 

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Courageous Conversations About Our Schools
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