Betsy DeVos won her contest in the Senate to become the new U.S. Secretary of Education but likely killed a long-standing political consensus on education. Its death gives progressives a chance to push for something better.

At last week's massive outpouring at over 2,000 schools in over 200 cities, more than 100,000 people called attention to widespread problems in public schools and demanded new policies that prioritize quality education.

Regardless of how you feel about charter schools, be concerned about a new government outlay of a quarter-billion dollars to these schools. A federal audit warns the money is very likely to end up in private pockets.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren threw the supposedly progressive framing of charter schools into doubt with her opposition to a ballot initiative to expand them in her state. Warren has good cause to oppose more charters.

“We want the people who are aspiring to be president of this country to talk to the communities, the parents, the young people who have been impacted by corporate education interventions," says Jitu Brown, one of the protest organizers.

Public schools across the nation are experiencing severe teacher shortages that are apt to develop into a “crisis.” Here are good reasons even Republicans should embrace the crisis and support good solutions.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump's full-throated support for school choice is the ill-conceived, grandiose, and politically polarizing gesture that many charter school proponents feared most.

As parents and students reenter public schools for a new year, they're hearing a lot about "school choice." No doubt school choice will benefit some parents. But who really stands to gain most from choice and why?

The longest continuously running survey of American attitudes toward public education has startling findings that reveal how out of whack current education policy is from the prevailing public opinion.

Comedian John Oliver revealed how often charter schools are poorly, even criminally, operated, and the charter industry missed the crux of his argument that there might be something fundamentally wrong with the schools.

Back-to-school supply lists are likely longer than ever. But the lack of funding for basic school supplies is just the most obvious sign of America's growing and deepening crisis in education funding.

Two recent events showcase exactly how the populist fervor in the nation is redrawing the education policy landscape, and more specifically, rewriting the story of the roll out of charter schools in our communities.

Progress on racial integration achieved during the civil rights period has gradually eroded. But in places like Little Rock, Ark., where progress started in 1957, the conflict continues; only the actors have changed.

800 advocates for “the people’s education” gathered at the Lincoln Memorial last week, where speakers who included Diane Ravitch and Rev. William Barber placed the fight to save public schools in the context of social justice advocacy.

Bernie Sanders supporters teamed up with those of Hillary Clinton to change how the Democratic Party platform addresses the charter school industry's threat to public education. Charter supporters aren't happy.

Progressive activists will throng the Lincoln Memorial to listen to Rev. William Barber II, education historian Diane Ravitch and other prominent voices rally the nation in support of the public education students deserve.

We're told schools need to be in step with the needs of businesses, and that education is "an investment" that gets a "return." The language of education policy is saturated in business values. But the truth is most businesses fail.

Denver is being widely hailed as the next model of "education reform" for other urban districts. But of the 27 charter schools the city has opened in the past five years, at least 40 percent are performing below expectations.

Although, the issue of charter schools has barely been addressed in the presidential contest, there’s little doubt the subject is a matter of intense and bitter debate down ticket.

High school graduation season is in bloom, but in some places, parents with children still in school have to worry about conditions in the schools they'll return to in the fall – or even if schools will open at all.

Michele Obama on Friday may commend City College of New York graduates for their effort to "reach higher" in education. Let's hope she also tells policy leaders and public officials to reach higher to fund it.

The false god of school vouchers has been unmasked once again by a study that says Louisiana and Indiana students using private school vouchers ended up doing worse than their public school counterparts.

Regardless of how you feel about charter schools, because of the way they've been forged in the crucible of politics, they've become much more political beings than they are institutions of education.

Conservatives have chosen public schools as the battleground to attack transgender student rights because that is one of the few places where the nation's diversity comes together to engage in its most collaborative endeavor.

We've drifted away from talking about education as "essential infrastructure." That's a mistake, and our students, and the nation's future, are worse off for it.

Frontline educators are committed to students and satisfied with schools but are deeply frustrated with how they’re being treated. The discontent is the continuation of a long and alarming trend that has negative effects on students.

A bill introduced by a Republican in Congress would cut the availability of federally subsidized lunches to hungry children in public schools. The bill is still in committee, but it’s not too early to tell Congress you oppose this.

Due to school voucher programs, such as the one Congress is voting on for Washington, D.C., religious schools get large amounts of public tax dollars to fund religion-based curricula.

Teacher shortages are spiking and job dissatisfaction among teachers is at an all-time high. Now a new survey points to another contributor to low teacher morale: their evaluations.

The Every Student Succeeds Act had wide, bipartisan support, but its real effect will be determined by its interpretation. Charter school advocates want it interpreted their way.

The Flint, Mich., water crisis prompted school officials in many places to test classroom sinks and cafeteria faucets for lead. What they found was alarming – and calls for nationwide action.

A new round of student protests on Wednesday will command the attention of the 2016 presidential election debate. The demands will include tuition-free public college and cancellation of all student debt.