Public Schools Advocate is a project of The Progressive magazine that aims to pull back the curtain on those individuals, foundations, and groups working both to privatize our public schools and to limit the role of schools in creating a critically democratic citizenry.
Launched in 2013, and originally called Public School Shakedown, the project covers the fundamental struggle for democracy going on around the country, as teachers, parents, and others rally to protect our public schools.
We changed the name to Public Schools Advocate in 2021, embracing a broader goal to empower teachers, parents, and other community members to organize and advocate for strong public schools that serve all students well.To that end, we work with a diverse group of fellows—teachers, advocates, activists, thinkers, and others in the progressive education movement. We regularly publish their writings, support them in attending conferences and other events, and assist them in getting the word out about one of the most important issues facing our democracy today.
Politicizing Black Lives in Florida
When it comes to learning history in schools, Florida’s state government is afraid knowledge will lead to power. Read more
Jan 27, 2023
What Happened to the 1.3 Million Children Who Stopped Going to School?
School privatizers want you to believe parents are abandoning the public system, but that’s not the whole story. Read more
#BlackLivesMatterAtSchool is a National Uprising for Racial Justice
From February 5-9, educators across the nation will participate in a week of action to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Read more
Feb 1, 2018
One Solution to the Teacher Shortage? Growing Your Own
Some states are using the shortage as an opportunity to lower the bar for educators. But there are more sustainable, community-minded ways of addressing the problem. Read more
Dec 21, 2022
Interview: Randi Weingarten Explains Why Most People Are Pro Public Education
The American Federation of Teachers president on the midterms’ impact on education, the culture wars in schools, and what the future holds. Read more
Dec 15, 2022
Librarians Have a Message for Book Banners: ‘Beware’
Invisible to the untrained eye, our work is like the hidden rings beneath a tree’s outer bark. Read more
Dec 12, 2022
Why the Movement Against Social-Emotional Learning Is a Disaster
Calls to outlaw teaching students core life skills misunderstand how important these lessons are. Read more
Dec 5, 2022
The Supreme Court’s Obsession with Whitewashed History
Influenced by the far-right originalist doctrine, the conservative-controlled Supreme Court is poised to plunge us back decades. Read more
Nov 29, 2022
The Stranglehold of Technology in the Classroom
Has the proliferation of edtech caused us to forget the education part? Read more
Nov 21, 2022