What is Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools?

The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) is a nationwide organization fighting to “reclaim the promise of public education as our nation’s gateway to a strong democracy and racial and economic justice.” In many ways, the motivating forces of the alliance is to minimize opportunity gaps for students by achieving racial equity in schools. The primary goal of AROS is “to ensure each and every child has the opportunity to pursue a rich and productive life.” (reclaimourschools.org) In order to achieve this lofty goal, AROS works to fight for a public school system that is publicly funded, equitable, and democratically controlled. AROS believes that government leaders claim cities cannot afford to pay for a public education system that serves all our children, even though there is always money to fund other aspects of community life and society. The Alliance demands funds to ensure equity for underserved, particularly black and brown, schools.

Organizing Strategies

AROC organizes rallies and sponsored days of action as its main organizing strategies. These happen at a national level, and are attended by educators, students, parents and elected officials.

Additionally, AROC sponsors an annual National Day of Action. The video below features the 206 Day of Action in San Francisco. On this day, the AROC rally focused on promoting the passage Prop 55 “to maintain taxes on California’s wealthiest to fund schools statewide and for Prop W to impose a modest transfer tax on sales of properties in San Francisco over $5 million to make City College of San Francisco free for all students.” (YouTube.com)

This 2016 rally was advertised on their website via the following message: “AROS is proud to announce that dozens of cities are gearing up for a demonstration of support for their public schools and the fight for the Schools All Our Children Deserve. On October 6 parents, students and educators will gather outside of their schools before the bell to hold a rally and march. Then they will walk into their schools together in a show of solidarity.” This rally is one example of AROS’s commitment to an Ella Baker model of participatory democracy. Ella Baker famously said: “You didn’t see me on television, you didn’t see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders.” (Mueller, 79) Although this rally was clearly promoted in the media and its leaders were publicly highlighted,  AROS reflects an ideology, one that Baker would echo, of “power to the people” where hierarchy is limited and the focus is a direct call to action.

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-10, AROC also published a weekly online “NewsBlast” entitled “This Week in Education Organizing”. These updates helped to shine light on smaller organization efforts nationwide that are working towards the same goals. They also promote and give information about rallies, strikes, and marches in different areas of the United States, in order to amplify the reach and impact of these events, and consequently increase their success. To address their principle goals of achieving equity for black and brown schools, AROS’s organizing is targeted elected officials to reconsider their tax policies so the very wealthy and corporations pay “their fair share”, to ensure their is funding equity across school systems, and to consciously “invest in strong schools and strong communities.”

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AROS is most active on its  Facebook page and its website.

left-hand photo: http://www.reclaimourschools.org/take-action/pledge

right-hand photo: https://uesf.org/our-work/community-organizing/alliance-to-reclaim-schools/