How Students Are Leading Us: Youth Organizing and the Fight for Public Education in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has a rich history of high school student activism, stretching back to 1967 when 3,500 Philadelphia students walked out of their schools, marched to the Board of Education and demanded the addition of black history courses taught by black teachers, the removal of police from high schools, and an increase in the hiring of black principals. More recently, in December 2000, thousands of high school students staged a walkout, followed by a rally at City Hall and a march to the state office building to protest the state takeover of the school district as well as the state’s newly signed multimillion dollar contract with Edison Schools, the for-profit education management organization that was poised to take over the running of scores of Philadelphia schools. And in the spring of 2013, on the 59th anniversary of the Brown versus Board of Education decision, thousands of Philadelphia students again organized a walkout to protest severe budget cuts to public education that would result in the closing of 23 schools and leave the remaining schools deprived of extracurricular programs, guidance counselors, librarians, and other vital resources.