Public education is under attack all across the United States — but here in Chicago we are fighting back.

The movement for education justice in our city has grown enormously in the last 5 years. It is as much as a struggle against racism and class inequality as it is a fight to defend public goods from the predations of corporate profiteers. It is the cutting edge in the conflict between those who want to balance the budget on the backs of workers and those who want to make the wealthy bear the cost of the economic crisis they created. As participants in this movement, we realize that the stakes are high — so we are committed to doing all we can to help it succeed.

As socialists, we are committed to the ideal of free, high-quality public education for all children — not just for the children of the wealthy. Chicago needs a public education system that is fully-funded, fully-staffed with wrap-around services, and fully-equipped with respected, empowered educators. We believe that student’s learning conditions are teacher’s working conditions — so we believe that schools perform best when educators are unionized, listened to, and well-compensated. We stand for a school curriculum that develops the capacities of the whole student and promotes critical thinking. For this reason, we oppose the corporate-driven high-stakes testing cabal that is dis-empowering educators and hurting students.

We believe the only way to win these demands is by way of a powerful grassroots social movement — lead by teachers unions, student organizations, parents and other workers — that unequivocally opposes cutbacks and privatization and strongly supports taxing the rich.

In Chicago, such a movement is already under way — and our members are proud to be active participants in it. If you would like to learn more about the work that we do — or if you’re interested in getting involved yourself — get in touch or come out to one of our regular branch meetings!