In a move that send shock waves through the nation's scientific community, the Kansas State school board--led by several outspoken conservative Christians--voted to delete evolution from the state's science curriculum and its standardized tests in August 1999. While this decision was short-lived, that case represents a broader movement by conservative Christians to affect education politics at the grassroots level throughout the United States. During the past decade, for instance, in school districts in Vista, California, Merrimack, New Hampshire, and Lake County, Florida, conservative Christian majorities have voted to place limits on sexual education, remove references to homosexuals in the classroom, and promote American culture as superior to other cultures--only to have these decisions revoked after losing their reelection bids. In this highly original work political scientist Melissa Deckman studies the motivation, strategies, and electoral success of Christian Right school board candidates, using a national survey of candidates and case studies of two school districts in which conservative Christians ran and served on local school boards. Why do conservative Christians run for school boards? How much influence has the Christian Right actually had on school boards? How do conservative Christians govern? The issues at stake are huge--and may well determine the future education of our nation's youth.