Therapy. Gardening. Housing assistance. There’s a bright future for public schools.
A groundbreaking new study shows that community schools can improve attendance, increase graudation rates, and more.
February 2020
In the Public Interest
Democracy, shared prosperity, and the common good
In the Public Interest is a comprehensive research and policy center on privatization and responsible contracting.
In the Public Interest
Democracy, shared prosperity, and the common good
In the Public Interest is a comprehensive research and policy center on privatization and responsible contracting.
National School Choice Week is actually about promoting certain choices over others
Instead of investing in all public schools, the funders behind National School Choice Week want our communities to leave education up to private markets.
February 2020
Wall Street wants in on public school construction, and that’s scary
For years, we’ve heard the same false claims behind the push to use public-private partnerships to build new infrastructure, like toll roads and prisons. Private equity firms and Wall Street banks say public-private [...]
January 2020
No one asks how are we going to pay for war. So, why should we for public transit?
Tons of positive ink has been spilled about Kansas City, Missouri’s decision last month to make public transit fare-free, and rightly so.
January 2020
Education historian Diane Ravitch has a new book, and she’s coming to a town near you
Cashing in on Kids is In the Public Interest‘s pick of recent news about the privatization of public education. Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. [...]
January 2020
California School Accountability Report: New charter regulation already paying off | and more
Our pick of recent news about the effort to privatize public education in California and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
January 2020
A new direction in 2020 for In the Public Interest. Well, sort of.
We're going to start showing what truly public, democratic control over public goods means and looks like.
January 2020
Summit Public Schools appears to be skirting the intention of California’s recent charter [...]
Our pick of recent news about the effort to privatize public education in California and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
December 2019
Charter schools are opening and failing like start-ups. That can’t be good for kids.
Thousands have been shuttered since the turn of the century. More than 35 percent of those given federal grant money between 2006 and 2014 either never opened or were shut down, costing taxpayers more than half a billion [...]
December 2019
D.C. proposes closing neighborhood school, as charter school backers demand access to public [...]
Our pick of recent news about the privatization of public education in the District and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
December 2019
Billionaire Eli Broad buys credibility for charter school movement with $100 million gift to Yale University
Cashing in on Kids is In the Public Interest‘s pick of recent news about the privatization of public education. Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us [...]
December 2019
Don’t like D.C. public transit? Then support the bus drivers striking to fix it.
You wouldn’t be wrong to blame Transdev for crippling public transportation in Northern Virginia since October. The multinational corporation all but guaranteed a strike by taking every dollar of profit it could out of its [...]
December 2019
California School Accountability Report: San Jose charter to close | School privatization explained [...]
Our pick of recent news about the effort to privatize public education in California and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
December 2019
How to talk to your family about charter schools during the holidays
What you should say when someone starts dissing traditional, neighborhood public schools and hyping up charter schools.
November 2019
People are fighting water privatization right now from Chile to the Rust Belt
Residents of a small Ohio city are pushing back against the proposed sale of their water and wastewater systems.
November 2019
D.C. School Accountability Report: Scott Pearson to step down | Rocketship kidnapping | and more
Our pick of recent news about the privatization of public education in the District and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
November 2019
D.C. charter school chain faces off against neighborhood
Cashing in on Kids is In the Public Interest‘s pick of recent news about the privatization of public education. Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. San Diego [...]
November 2019
Californians should own the state’s largest for-profit power utility, not Wall Street
Lessons from recent social science research show who should not be allowed to own PG&E—namely Wall Street.
October 2019
Now is the best time since 2016 to invest in private prisons, says Wall Street
Stocks in CoreCivic and GEO Group have fallen about 35 percent since June. But business is looking up.
October 2019
Privatizing D.C.’s Medicaid system makes zero sense—not even to save money
The nation’s capital recently announced it plans to fully privatize its Medicaid program—which is chilling news. Yes, most of D.C.’s Medicaid recipients already have their health care managed by private insurance [...]
October 2019
Guide: 10 questions to ask before any privatization deal
Privatization, the handing over of public goods and services to corporations, remains all the rage. The promises are always oversold — we get cost overruns instead of cost savings, less transparency, and cut corners [...]
June 2019
Privatization report: The charter school movement is in trouble | Nashville fights off [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS The national charter school movement looks to [...]
June 2019
California School Accountability Report: New data on the cost of charter schools | AB1505 passes | [...]
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. New data on the cost of charter schools. Last week, In the Public [...]
May 2019
Privatization report: How much charter schools really cost | Illinois could ban private prisons | [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS A new study (by In the Public Interest) has [...]
May 2019
California School Accountability: Charter reform bills in motion | Bernie wants to rein in charter [...]
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Big week in Sacramento. Multiple charter school law reform bills are on the [...]
May 2019
Privatization report: Bernie wants to rein in charter schools | CoreCivic’s lucrative quarter | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Citing harm to public schools, presidential candidate Sen. Bernie [...]
May 2019
Privatization report: Remembering ATU’s Larry Hanley | Florida to use school vouchers | and [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS The Southern Poverty Law Center weighs in on [...]
May 2019
Privatization report: Former Trump appointee joins private prison corp | Nashville looks to [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Trump’s former chief of staff, John [...]
May 2019
Fact Sheet: The perils of privatizing parking assets
In 2008, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley rushed a proposal through Chicago’s city council to lease out the city’s downtown parking meters for 75 years. Councilmembers (and the public) were given only a few days to examine [...]
April 2019
Weekly privatization report: Pelosi and Trump talk infrastructure | GEO Group up close | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Charles [...]
April 2019
Show your support for SB 756 to help fix California’s broken charter school law
California’s public school students, parents, educators, and school personnel need your help supporting SB 756 before this Wednesday, April 24, when the Senate Education Committee holds a hearing on the bill. SB 756, [...]
April 2019
Weekly privatization report: The federal government is pushing charter corporatization | A [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Two prominent nationwide charter school [...]
April 2019
Data Brief: The Wall Street Banks Still Financing Private Prisons
Under the Trump administration, the number of immigrants detained by the US government has skyrocketed. Nearly 75% of those detained are held in private prisons, whose stock prices have soared against the backdrop of [...]
April 2019
Weekly privatization report: Bay Area P3 is failing | Alabama looking to private prisons | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Results from California’s Presidio [...]
April 2019
California School Accountability Report: Prop 39 fight in Carson | Can Gavin Newsom break the [...]
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Prop 39 fight in Carson.A plan to locate a charter school in the same space as [...]
April 2019
Weekly privatization report: Charter special ed failure in Louisiana | Water corporation takes big hit | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Louisiana officials are recommending to [...]
April 2019
Weekly privatization report: Skirt rule slashed at NC charter school | Private prison exec [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS A North Carolina charter school’s [...]
April 2019
California School Accountability Report: Sign this petition to hold charter schools accountable
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Sign this petition to hold charter schools accountable. Educators for [...]
March 2019
Weekly privatization report: Public education attacked in Florida | Indianapolis leaves private [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Florida Republicans have introduced two bills [...]
March 2019
Weekly privatization report: From immigrant detention to charter schools | What privatization [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS A nonprofit that’s been awarded almost [...]
March 2019
Weekly privatization report: JPMorgan Chase finally divests | Atlanta fights “portfolio model” | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS JPMorgan Chase has yielded to pressure [...]
March 2019
Calls for a charter school moratorium in California are growing louder
Across California, education leaders, teachers, and parents are realizing that the state’s nearly three-decade-old charter school law needs to be updated. In January, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to [...]
March 2019
D.C.’s charter school transparency policies fall short of nationwide state-level standards
In the wake of unexpected news that a prominent charter school is closing at the end of the school year, Washington, D.C.’s public education community is actively debating the issue of transparency. Many [...]
March 2019
Weekly privatization report: Big St. Louis airport vote | Private prison lobbying ramps up | and [...]
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Tomorrow’s vote for president of the St. [...]
March 2019
California School Accountability Report: Calls for charter moratorium grow | The real story in [...]
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Calls for charter moratorium grow.This week, the West Contra Costa Unified [...]
March 2019
Weekly privatization report: Oakland teachers still striking | Private prison corps see gold | and more
Here’s our weekly analysis of privatization in the news and in communities nationwide, in order by sector. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS Oakland teachers went out on strike [...]
February 2019
Former San Diego charter school parent says daughter experienced “neglect and false [...]
I want to share a parent’s note that reminded me why In the Public Interest focuses on public education. Deb Zehr is the mother of nine-year-old Suraya, who recently left a San Diego charter school to attend a traditional, [...]
February 2019
Cashing in on Kids: The school security gold rush | Critiquing the “portfolio model” | [...]
Cashing in on Kids is our pick of recent news about the privatization of public education. Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Is school security the next gold [...]
February 2019
California School Accountability Report: State to study charter impact | Explaining Prop 39 | and [...]
Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Is unlimited charter school growth sustainable? We might soon find [...]
February 2019