Are you angry about massive cuts to our public school budgets and attacks on public schools, but aren’t sure where to start?

Do you want ideas for how you can take action to change what is happening in this country?

Are you willing to talk to friends & neighbors about their vision for kids, schools & community?

Can you dedicate 3-5 hours a week to join with others to do what the moment demands?

Join Free the Future Leadership School.

We meet every Wednesday at 7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT to share actions we can take to defend and strengthen our public schools, and learn the skills and simple tools we need to make that happen. Come every week, or only the weeks that work for you!  We will cover:

• Building connections: How to engage the people in your school or community who will join you in taking action

• Building community: How to gather your people to to learn together, support one another and take action 

• Building capacity:  How to help your friends, neighbors and community members learn the skills they need for your actions to have impact

The weekly training schedule includes trainings on organizing skills and tactics, interspersed with orientations to non-cooperation organizing, and national briefings on federal developments and movement resistance. You will learn to recruit other families, push elected officials to fight for public schools, use fun and humor to resist attacks on schools, protect families from government repression, and more. You will leave with ideas, tools and a national community of parents, caregivers, educators and neighbors taking action together.  

2025 TRAINING SCHEDULE

Oct 15

New leader orientation. Intro to what’s happening to public schools, non-cooperation organizing framework, and how these trainings can provide a roadmap for action. 

Oct 22

New leader orientation. Intro to what’s happening to public schools, non-cooperation organizing framework, and how these trainings can provide a roadmap for action. Breakout group for strategy and group feedback will be offered for more experienced leaders.

Oct 29

Build connections. You will learn to build your base and recruit volunteers by using the non-permission slip to meet people who care about public schools, talk to them about their concerns and priorities, and expand your crew!

Nov 5

Build community. You will learn to plan and facilitate a gathering of your crew to get to know one another, learn about the threats and potential for public schools in your area, and dream up creative, fun, community-building actions you can do to fight back.

Nov 12

National Briefing Call on State of Public Schools & Action Share  

Nov 19

Build capacity. You will learn how to plan and lead a meeting with your principal, superintendent or school board to share info about the impact of federal cuts, and ask them to go public about the harm to students.  

Dec 3

Build connections. You will learn how to mobilize your growing community to hold a teach-in, public action or other event to publicize the threats to public schools, your vision for the schools our kids deserve, and get even more people involved.

Dec 10

National Briefing Call on State of Public Schools & Action Share  

Dec 17

Build community. We will share our progress and challenges, our victories large and small, and set our sights on planning and power for 2026.

2026 Topics Coming Soon!

LEADERSHIP SCHOOL FAQ

What if I have never been a leader in my community before?

You already know how to lead! There are ways that you lead every day in your families, schools, neighborhoods, houses of worship, and at work.  Free the Future will help you strengthen skills of building connections, building community and building capacity - skills you can use in all areas of your life! - and help you become a more confident leader for public schools. This community will support you, and experienced organizers will be available to coach you as well.

How does going to trainings help save public schools – and our democracy?

Each training prepares you with skills to take concrete actions in your community, and gives you ideas and tools for what to do. We will also help you build a local circle of 5 -25 people (or perhaps more!) who can take more impactful actions together.  

What types of actions will we be doing?

We will start small, and build greater capacity for action and unity over time. We will set goals to get more stakeholders to sign the non-permission slip, publicize our gains, meet with local officials to get them to go on record about the harm being done to our schools, and work towards larger mobilizations. 

Ok, so when is the training call, again?

Free the Future leadership trainings will alternate with orientation meetings for new leaders and a National Briefing that provides updates on what is happening to our schools and to our democracy, and highlights the progress we are making together.   All calls will last an hour – leaving you 2-4 hours per week to build something in your school and community. 

Join us! We are parents, students, educators and neighbors who have been organizing to protect and transform public schools as part of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools national network.  We’ll start small and grow, and so will the impact of our work. If we all step up our courage and our leadership, we can win the schools our kids deserve.