Teachers for Social Justice

What Teachers for Social Justice does

Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) is a Chicago-based, all-volunteer nonprofit organization founded in September 2000 that supports educators, parents, students, and community members in implementing social justice pedagogy and advocating for educational equity. The organization's core offerings include the annual Teaching for Social Justice Curriculum Fair (held since 2003, with the 17th edition in November 2018 at Uplift Community High School), a free downloadable curriculum database covering ethnic studies, anti-racism, restorative justice, math and social justice, and school-closings topics, bilingual Popular Education Pieces (English/Spanish), and ongoing Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAGs) for collaborative educator study. Distribution is entirely free/freemium via the website teachersforjustice.org, an email listserv, a Facebook group with over 6,900 members, and a Twitter account (@TeachForJustice).

TSJ operates under a community-led go-to-market model with no paid staff; approximately 60-80 volunteers mobilize each year to produce the Curriculum Fair and other events, and the organization is anchored in the national Teacher Activist Groups (TAG) network alongside NYCoRE, T4SJ Bay Area, Literacy for Social Justice St. Louis, Educators Network for Social Justice Milwaukee, and Association of Raza Educators. Coalition partners include the Chicago Teachers Union, Grassroots Education Movement, Rethinking Schools, and Chicago Freedom School, with which TSJ coordinates campaigns on elected school boards, school closings, the Fight for Dyett hunger strike, and the Black Lives Matter at Schools national week of action.

The business model is grassroots fundraising and donations, accepting one-time contributions, monthly sustainer pledges, check donations, wish list items, and PayPal/credit card donations through Rally.org and GoFundMe for specific initiatives such as the Elected School Board Lawsuit and the Moey Dworkin-Cantor Dreamer Scholarship. No revenue figure is disclosed, no funding rounds have been taken, and the organization has no parent company, subsidiaries, or commercial product lines. There is no application, API, or technology platform; the underlying "technology" consists of human-authored curriculum content and pedagogical frameworks adapted for classroom and community use.

Name

Teachers for Social Justice

Legal name

Teachers for Social Justice

Website

https://teachersforjustice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Teachers for Social Justice is a Chicago-based, all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 2000 that provides free social justice curriculum, annual workshops, and community organizing support to educators, parents, and students in Chicago public schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Justice Education Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Studies & Civics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Social justice education
• Curriculum resources
• Community organizing
• Equity pedagogy
• Professional development workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Grassroots Fundraising and Donations: All volunteer organization relying solely on grassroots fundraising and support. Accepts one-time contributions, monthly sustainer pledges, check donations, wish list item donations, and secure online credit card donations through PayPal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Teachers for Social Justice is a Chicago-based volunteer nonprofit that provides free social justice education resources, downloadable curriculum guides, and community-based professional development for educators, parents, and students. Its flagship offering is the annual Teaching for Social Justice Curriculum Fair, complemented by ongoing Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAG) study groups, Popular Education Pieces, and issue-specific curriculum such as the School Closings Curriculum.

Product overview

Teachers for Social Justice is an advocacy organization, not a software or technology product company. It offers educational programs and resources including the annual Teaching for Social Justice Curriculum Fair, downloadable curriculum resources and lesson plans focused on social justice education, Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAG) for collaborative teacher learning, Popular Education Pieces (fact sheets and booklets on education justice issues), and School Closings Curriculum for teaching about education policy. These offerings are community organizing and educational resources rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teaching for Social Justice Curriculum Fair Annual flagship event where teachers exhibit curriculum oriented toward social justice, featuring keynote speakers, workshops, and curriculum presentations for hundreds of educators, parents, and students.
• Social Justice Curriculum Resources Curriculum guides, lesson plans, and teaching materials focused on social justice, anti-racism, and equity in education, available for free download and sharing among educators.
• Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAG) Study Groups Ongoing study groups for educators to learn from each other and explore social justice education topics collectively.
• Popular Education Pieces Ten-page booklets and fact sheets that outline a vision for public schools while connecting issues of corporate-style reforms and social justice in education, available in English and Spanish.
• School Closings Curriculum Teaching materials created to help students learn about school closings and implement related service-learning projects, including unit plans and workshop materials.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NY Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2008Collaborative partnership on curriculum development. TSJ hosted workshops featuring NYCoRE's 'Camouflaged: Investigating how the U.S. military affects you and your community' curriculum for anti-military recruitment education. Both organizations share curriculum resources and pedagogical approaches for social justice education.
• Education for Liberation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network partner providing social justice curriculum database and resources. TSJ connects members to the network's Ning site for teacher blogs and discussions, and participates in collaborative projects and knowledge sharing.
• Chicago Teachers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partnership in education advocacy campaigns including school closings opposition, elected school board initiatives, and CTU Community Board coalition. TSJ members participate in CTU-organized rallies, teach-ins, and policy advocacy.
• Grassroots Education Movement (GEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in fighting school closings and defending public education. GEM organizes the May 17 Day of Action and other city-wide campaigns in which TSJ participates.
• Rethinking Schools MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Curriculum Fair. Rethinking Schools provides curriculum resources and articles that inform TSJ's work. TSJ's working principles draw heavily from Rethinking Schools' published frameworks.
• Teacher Activist Groups (TAG) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network connecting TSJ with similar organizations: NYCoRE (New York), T4SJ (Bay Area), Literacy for Social Justice (St. Louis), Educators Network for Social Justice Milwaukee, and Association of Raza Educators (San Diego). Network enables resource sharing and coordinated advocacy.
• American Friends Service CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on anti-military recruitment workshops and curriculum development, including presenting the Camouflaged curriculum.
• Chicago Freedom SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-focused partner organization contributing to curriculum fair programming and education advocacy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Grassroots Education Movement (GEM): Chicago coalition partner fighting school closings and defending public education. GEM organizes the May 17 Day of Action and other campaigns in which TSJ directly participates — an aligned advocacy peer in the same geography.
• Education for Liberation Network: National network providing a social justice curriculum database and teacher blog Ning site. TSJ actively connects members to this network for shared resources and collaborative projects, making it a closely aligned peer in content and audience.
• Chicago Freedom School: Chicago youth-focused partner organization contributing to Curriculum Fair programming and education advocacy. Operates in the same geography with overlapping educator and youth constituencies.
• Rethinking Schools: Milwaukee-based social justice education publisher and Curriculum Fair co-sponsor. Rethinking Schools produces curriculum and articles that directly inform TSJ's working principles, making it the closest peer in mission and content focus.
• Teachers 4 Social Justice (Bay Area): Bay Area teacher activist group and fellow TAG Network member. Directly comparable in structure, mission, and programming to TSJ, but operating in a different regional market.
• NY Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE): New York City-based teacher activist group with which TSJ shares curriculum resources and co-hosts workshops (e.g., the Camouflaged anti-military recruitment curriculum). Direct counterpart within the TAG national network.

Regional players

• Educators Network for Social Justice (Milwaukee): Milwaukee-based TAG Network member with mission and structure directly comparable to TSJ, but serving a different regional market and not competing in Chicago.
• Association of Raza Educators: San Diego-based TAG Network member focused on Raza/ethnic studies curriculum and educator organizing. Operates with a comparable grassroots teacher-activist model in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Teachers Union: Large union representing Chicago Public Schools educators. CTU is a core advocacy partner of TSJ, providing the broader institutional and policy infrastructure within which TSJ's grassroots organizing operates.
• Black Lives Matter at Schools: National organizing vehicle for the annual Week of Action in which TSJ participates. Operates at a larger national scale on overlapping demands (end zero tolerance, more Black teachers, ethnic studies, counselors not cops).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeachForJustice
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoTeachersForSocialJustice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teachers-for-social-justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teachers for Social Justice