Public School Shakedown
Latest from the Public School Shakedown
About the Public School Shakedown
A fundamental struggle for democracy is going on around the country, as a handful of wealthy individuals and foundations pour money into efforts to privatize the public schools. The Public School Shakedown pulls back the curtain and reveals what is at stake. Our writers include teachers working in classrooms around the country. We follow the money, expose the privatizers, and report on the resistance and the hard work of people on the front lines of public education.
The Battle in Seattle Against Yet Another Charter School Invasion
Washington State has been saying no to charter schools for over a decade. But advocates continue to push the issue, sometimes in devious ways. more
Apr 25, 2018
School “Choice” Lurks Behind Arizona Teacher Walkout
The state has become an experimental playground for an untethered, unregulated form of education privatization, and teachers and students are on the short end of the deal. more
Apr 23, 2018
From Oklahoma Teachers, Lessons for Progressives
Teachers are challenging a decades-long nationwide conservative campaign to shrink government. more
Apr 18, 2018
By Repealing School Discipline Reforms, The Trump Administration Hurts Students of Color
Obama-era policies forced schools to deal with racism in their disciplinary practices. Now the Team Trump wants to scrap those measures. more
Apr 17, 2018
‘When It Is Our Children, No One Cares’
Whether the focus is gun violence or racist public policies, people are collectively recognizing how we currently put the lives of our children at risk—some children more than others. more
Apr 16, 2018
Cynthia Nixon Could Take Down Andrew Cuomo Over Education
The candidate for New York governor and former Sex and the City actor is a longtime public education advocate, and isn’t afraid to point out Cuomo’s pattern of underfunding schools. more
Apr 12, 2018
In Oklahoma, an ‘Education Spring’ After a Long Winter of Discontent
Oklahoma teachers now have national attention as they march to the state capital to demand better working and learning environments for students and teachers alike. more
Apr 4, 2018
The Outrage of Theoretical Children
Theoretical children are useful: they are predictable and generalizable. They lend themselves easily to political agenda. But theoretical children don’t exist. more
Mar 23, 2018
Oklahoma Teachers Plan a Strike: “Our Children Cannot Wait any Longer”
While the state has cut taxes on oil, state employees have not received an across-the-board pay raise in twelve years. more
Mar 21, 2018
Want Better Student Outcomes? Try Loving Cities
The Schott Foundation is offering a seismic shift in how policy makers, philanthropists and the general public can create better schools. more
Mar 15, 2018
Betsy DeVos’s ‘Shining Example’—A Charter Closed for Poor Performance
Betsy DeVos doesn't care about how charters and vouchers are performing, because there is no place for public education in her worldview or political agenda. more
Mar 13, 2018
Why Teachers Strike (It’s Not All About Money)
As a past union president, I know there’s nothing teachers would rather do less than strike. Getting a majority of them to do so is really, really hard. more
Mar 12, 2018
White Teachers with Guns
What would it mean for black students to sit in a classroom knowing their teacher was armed? more
Mar 7, 2018
What’s Behind New York’s Charter School End Run Around Teacher Certification?
If granted, this would allow teachers to transfer from a charter into any public school statewide, avoiding current degree and certification requirements. And that’s not good for students. more
Mar 1, 2018
#NeverAgain: Our Education Fellows Respond to the School Gun Violence Uprising
Real change will require adults to step in too, and intersectional organizing for the safety of all students. more
Feb 28, 2018
The Progressive Education Fellows
Jeff Bryant
Director of the Education Opportunity Network and associate fellow at Campaign for America’s Future. more
Xian Franzinger Barrett, Chicago
Award-winning teacher in Chicago Public Schools and founding member of EduColor. more
Jennifer C. Berkshire, Boston
Journalist, blogger and cohost of the podcast 'Have You Heard,' about education in the time of Trump. more
Ashana Bigard, New Orleans
Social justice organizer, and advocate for children and families in Louisiana. more
Peter Greene, Pennsylvania Region
English teacher for a few years. Blogger at Curmudgucation. more
Jesse Hagopian, Seattle
History teacher at Garfield High in Seattle, and author of “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing.” more
Rann Miller, New Jersey
After-school program director, teacher, and blogger at Urban Education Mixtape. more
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Sacramento
Professor at California State University Sacramento and blogger at Cloaking Inequity. more
Sarah Lahm, Minneapolis
Minneapolis-based writer and former English instructor. She blogs at Bright Light Small City. more
Cynthia Liu, Los Angeles
Founder of K-12 News Network, watchdog, community organizer. more
Sabrina Joy Stevens, Washington, D.C.
Mother, writer, education advocate, and former teacher based in Washington, D.C. more
Dora Taylor, Seattle
Public ed advocate, founding member of Parents Across America, and author. more
Jose Luis Vilson, New York City
Math educator, blogger, speaker, and activist in New York City. more