Struggle against school closures and ‘turnarounds’ heats up in Chicago

    Across the country, March 1 was as a day of action for defending public education. One of the major themes of the day was fighting the privatization of this public good.

    For years, Chicago has served as an incubator for privatization schemes such as unelected school boards, mayoral control and charter schools. But Chicago also boasts some of the best-organized resistance to those policies. Watch this report to hear from some of the organizers leading that fight.

    For more, hear my coverage of a recent anti-privatization protest in Brooklyn for Free Speech Radio News, as well as another FSRN report about ongoing actions in California against tuition hikes and budget cuts.

    Recent Stories

    • Analysis

    What the climate movement can learn from organized labor

    September 23, 2026

    The climate movement needs the kind of leverage that comes from shutting down the economy — and it can only get there through deep organizing with workers.

    • Analysis

    How to combat fear at the polls this November

    September 21, 2026

    As we approach a midterm election shadowed by threats of violence, there are freely available trainings for people who want to protect the vote.

    • Review

    Being a dissident is a capacity, not a calling

    September 17, 2026

    Gal Beckerman’s new book “How to Be a Dissident” finds that dissidence isn’t a personality type. It’s a human capacity that can be cultivated.