ProPublica Reporters Became Private School Owners in 24 Hours
ProPublica reporters launched an investigation into the ease of opening private schools by attempting to start one themselves. The experiment aims to expose the lack of oversight and regulation in the rapidly growing taxpayer-funded private school sector.
Why it matters
It highlights potential systemic issues in education policy and the misuse of public funds in private schooling.
Contrast Change Appearance Auto Light Dark ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. This story first ran in Dispatches, our weekly newsletter from our reporters about their recent investigations. Sign up to receive stories like this one in your inbox every Saturday.
It began as a casual question — and a flicker of curiosity — uttered during a meeting of ProPublica journalists who this year are reporting on publicly funded private schools. We were discussing how, in many states, basically anyone can open a private school wherever they want. No experience, no training, no curriculum required.
One of our editors jumped in and asked: What if ProPublica tried to establish a private school?
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