For six months, FIJ grantee, Rachel M. Cohen investigated the D.C. charter school lobby, tracing the history of how the charter sector has evolved over the past two decades. Using public records requests, document leaks, countless interviews and hours of archival research, Cohen pieced together for Washington City Paper How Charter Schools Won D.C. Politics, a story of how federal intervention, an army of lobbyists, and D.C. taxpayer dollars have all helped local charters successfully beat back government oversight.
Artwork by Julia Terbrock