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  • "With in-depth, well-researched analysis, the team at In the Public Interest is an invaluable policy resource."

    Randi Weingarten, President of AFT

  • "[In the Public Interest] understands from other cities where they’ve done it right and where they’ve done it wrong."

    Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA

  • "It’s hard to think of any organization that is as valuable in protecting the public interest in a time when it is in peril."

    Diane Ravitch, Education historian

In the Public Interest

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.

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Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

Billionaire Eli Broad buys credibility for charter school movement with $100 million gift to Yale [...]

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools

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
Charter Schools Education

San Diego charter school in “meltdown mode” over money and safety problems

Our pick of recent news about the effort to privatize public education in California and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
November 2019
Charter Schools Education

D.C. School Accountability Report: Charter enrollment dropping | Right-wing think tanks use D.C. as [...]

In the Public Interest's pick of recent news about the privatization of public education in the District and the families, students, and teachers fighting back.
October 2019
Charter Schools Education Publications

Research Brief: Background information on charter schools

A collection of research designed to help communities grapple with how best to fit charter schools into their educational systems.
October 2019
Charter Schools Education Publications

Report: Examining California’s charter school appeals process

In 1992, California’s legislature passed a bill allowing for the creation of charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately managed. Almost three decades later, the state has the country’s largest charter [...]
June 2019
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Charter Schools Education Publications

Report: Charter schools are costing California’s West Contra Costa Unified $27.9 million a year

In the Public Interest, in partnership with California’s West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) staff, directly measured the financial impact of charter schools on students who attend the district’s [...]
May 2019
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Education

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
Blog Education

California School Accountability Report: Prop 39 fight in Carson | Can Gavin Newsom break the gridlock? | and more

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

Former San Diego charter school parent says daughter experienced “neglect and false promises”

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
Blog Charter Schools Education

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
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Cashing in on Kids: Why communities of color are increasingly rejecting charter schools

In the Public Interest's pick of recent news in the privatization of public education.
December 2018
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

California School Accountability Report: Charter leader was making $24,000 a month

  Here’s our pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California. Want these straight to your email inbox? Sign up here.   Charter school leader was making $24,000 a month. An audit [...]
October 2018
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

California School Accountability Report: Conflict over classrooms in SF

In the Public Interest's pick of recent news about the ongoing effort to privatize public education in California.
September 2018

Featured Article

Report: The Cost of Charter Schools for Public School Districts May 2018

Featured Article

Report: Fraud and waste in California’s charter schools March 2018

Charter Schools Education Publications What We Focus On

Research Brief: How charter schools impact public school district budgets

Public school districts and the students they serve are undermined by laws and practices that prioritize charter school growth over educational opportunities for all students.
February 2018
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

California School Accountability Report: Board of Education overrules communities once again

A charter off to a bad start in the Montebello Unified School District, students protest school discipline in La Mesa, and more.
January 2018
Blog Education What We Focus On

How we got to having to rely on GoFundMe campaigns to keep Baltimore students from freezing

The Right's push to make everyone afraid of higher taxes has drained public budgets, which strangles public goods and services.
January 2018
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

California School Accountability Report: More charter school fraud

Northern California charter school administrator found using public money to buy firearms, how a handful of billionaires are bankrolling Oakland's education elections, and more.
December 2017
Blog Charter Schools Education Home What We Focus On

Statement on California State Board of Education’s closure of Celerity charter schools

OAKLAND—In the Public Interest Executive Director Donald Cohen issued the following statement on the California State Board of Education’s unanimous decision last week to close two Los Angeles charter schools managed [...]
May 2017

Featured Article

Report: The Failure of Policy Planning in California’s Charter School Facility Funding April 2017

Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

What a Victory Against Wall Street in Nashville Means for Students in Massachusetts

A win against pro-charter school organizations in Nashville means good things for public education advocates in Massachusetts.
August 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Without Planning and Oversight, Charter Schools Hurt Neighborhood Schools

Allowing charter schools to open with little consideration for other public schools and the surrounding community is fueling a crisis in American public education.
July 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

“School Choice” Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be

All of the rhetoric from charter school advocates about “school choice” only obscures the real choice.
July 2016
Charter Schools Education Home Publications What We Focus On

Academica’s Florida Real Estate Operations

"Academica's Florida Real Estate Operations" provides analysis of for-profit charter school operator Academica’s role as a landlord to schools in Florida.
June 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

California’s Latest Gold Rush is Public Education

Billionaires and investors are doubling down on charter school expansion, even as evidence mounts that the schools destabilize public school districts.
June 2016
Charter Schools Education Publications Tools and Guides What We Focus On

Policy Brief: The Cost of Charter Schools for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

A research brief proposing equitable solutions to mitigate the negative fiscal impact of charter schools on the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
May 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Cashing in on Student Failure

Despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from California’s taxpayers, California Virtual Academies (CAVA), owned by publicly traded K12 Inc., is failing key tests used to measure educational success.
May 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Chicago’s Teachers Just Stood Up for Children Everywhere

Friday’s teacher strike in Chicago was also a protest against a growing national problem, the privatization of our public education system.
April 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Charter Schools Suspend Black Students and Kids with Disabilities More

New data shows that black students are four times as likely to be suspended from charter schools as white students. [...]
March 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

How Competition Hurts Children in Detroit’s Schools

If charter school growth continues unchecked and Detroit's traditional schools lose more students, it will be even harder for the public school system to pay down its debt and afford fixed costs
February 2016
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

The Public Pays Twice for Some Schools

Many current policies allow new actors into public education who skim profits from the system, pocketing money that might otherwise be spent on direct services for children.
December 2015
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Yes, ‘Virtual’ Charter Schools Exist–and They’re Growing

While high quality virtual charter schools can be useful for certain students, the majority of kids need teachers to interact with and classmates to socialize and study with.
November 2015
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Billionaires Can’t Teach Our Kids

Billionaire Eli Broad plans to raise and spend $490 million to create enough privately operated charter schools to house half of the city’s public school students. [...]
October 2015
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Charter Schools Have Failed More than Traditional Public Schools

According to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), since 2000, charter schools have failed at a much higher rate than traditional public schools.
October 2015
Blog Education What We Focus On

The Market Shouldn’t Decide Who Gets Educated, We Should

Rather than the public good it should be, higher education has become a market product accessible to those who can afford it, harming America in the process.
September 2015
Blog Education What We Focus On

Who Can Live on $8.50 an Hour?

When contractors aim to maximize profit, students often face dirty classrooms, unreliable bus routes, and strained, underpaid workers.
September 2015
Blog Charter Schools Education What We Focus On

Tell Walton Family to Hold Charter Schools Accountable

For over 20 years the foundation operated by Wal-Mart heirs has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the growth of charter schools and prioritized quantity over quality and ideology over good public policy.
June 2015

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