You Too Can Be a Wonky Mom (or Dad)!

I love public policy. And I love my family. I was passionate about the former well before the latter came along. But not surprisingly raising children has intensified my desire to improve the world through lawmaking (or law changing), especially for kids and the people who care for them.

Those who know me in real life know that this divides my energy in many ways throughout a typical day. I’ve searched for child care for my infant daughter while researching the quality of child care for families in Boston. I’ve followed the health care debate on a day that I took my son to a well visit at his pediatrician’s office (covered by excellent health insurance, natch). I’ve read about the achievement gap, while reviewing my son’s state test scores. The resources and opportunities available to my children make me keenly aware of the challenges of families who aren’t so lucky, and that drives my desire to learn more, and do more to improve the public policies that impact them every day.

I’m blessed with a great network of frolleagues who lead similar professional and personal lives. I can’t list them all here, but you know who you are, and you each inspire me every day. I will give a special shout out to my friend who recently mentioned the challenge of trying to follow health care reform for Results while losing sleep to her son’s teething.

Here’s the thing parents– even if you don’t have a policy degree and have never set foot in the halls of Congress, you too can be a Wonky Mom or a Wonky Dad! It is my greatest hope and desire that if this blog does nothing else it challenges other parents out there to recognize that the world of public policy interacts with their homes, their neighborhoods, their schools and their communities every day. And, more importantly, that they have a role to play in shaping it, not just for themselves but for all the other families out there like them.

To help you get started, here are a few issues that are already underway in Washington, and some resources to help you step up and speak up. I’m leaving health care off the list because I’ve written about that recently, but feel free to check out my earlier posts.

Student Loans for College - H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 passed the house last night. Besides setting up the Early Learning Challenge Fund for quality child care and early education, it also shifts college student loans from private financial institutions to the federal government. Proponents say that cutting out the middle man will save money for families borrowing for college. Opponents say it’s a government take over. What do you think? Let your Senator know, because that's where that bill goes next!

Child Nutrition – The federal laws that help children have access to healthy food are due to be renewed by Congress this year. According to the Food Research and Action Center, this reauthorization (for definitions of words used in Congress, go here) will include the School Breakfast and Lunch programs, Summer Food, Child and Adult Care Food (provides food in child care settings) and WIC (Women Infant and Children) programs. You can learn more and sign up for email updates at FRAC’s web site.

No Child Left Behind – This is the nickname for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also up for renewal this year, which sets federal policy for public schools with students grades K-12. If you have kids in school, this is the source of the requirement for standardized testing (MCAS in Massachusetts) beginning in 3rd grade. As it makes its way through reauthorization, policy makers, educators, and yes, parents, should speak up about standardized testing, teacher training and qualifications, charter schools, expanded early learning, and federal funding. Our kids spend at least six hours a day in their schools – let’s make them count!

These are just a few of the family friendly issues facing legislators this year. Ready to become a Wonky Mom or Wonky Dad? Visit one of the sites below to get started (and of course it won’t hurt to follow this blog and @childfampolicy on Twitter!).

• Results is a great grassroots organizing network that will help you learn to speak up and give you the information you need to be effective. Tell Meredith I sent you – and that I hope she got some sleep last night!


• The National Women’s Law Center works on issues affecting women and girls. I especially love their Family Economic Security team!


• MomsRising makes it easy and fun with easy to understand updates and fun to use techie organizing tools!

Good luck with your good work! Let me know how it goes on your journey to Wonkdom!

The Chatter About Charters

Did you listen to President Obama’s speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce today? I don’t know how much it varied to his standard stump speech on education. I was happy, but not surprised, to hear him identify high quality early childhood education as a priority.

But today I was listening with a new perspective, and this bit caught my attention:

“Now, that leads me to the fourth part of America's education strategy - promoting innovation and excellence in America's schools. One of the places where much of that innovation occurs is in our most effective charter schools. And these are public schools founded by parents, teachers, and civic or community organizations with broad leeway to innovate - schools I supported as a state legislator and a United States senator.

But right now, there are many caps on how many charter schools are allowed in some states, no matter how well they're preparing our students. That isn't good for our children, our economy, or our country. Of course, any expansion of charter schools must not result in the spread of mediocrity, but in the advancement of excellence. And that will require states adopting both a rigorous selection and review process to ensure that a charter school's autonomy is coupled with greater accountability - as well as a strategy, like the one in Chicago, to close charter schools that are not working. Provided this greater accountability, I call on states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place.”

I confess that I am a newcomer to the charter school debate. I have been vaguely aware for some time that the teacher unions weren’t crazy about them. And since I have great respect for teachers and count many as friends, I assumed that I agreed. I’ve also been engaged in many a stressful budget year as a parent in the local public schools, so the thought of children leaving their home schools and taking their per child state education funding with them (in our case out of district) didn’t sit well with me. And finally, I generally lumped charter schools into the same category as private schools and school vouchers – options that could potentially drain engaged students and parents out of the struggling public schools that need them the most.

So it was almost with embarrassment that I recently entered my own child in the local charter school lottery. When we learned that he had a spot, I was filled with a mix of relief and excitement for my son, who I am certain will thrive in the new environment, and guilt for all the reasons I listed above.

The experience has made me look a little more deeply into charter schools and the debate they engender. Here are the basic arguments on both sides.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools says that because charter schools are more flexible (they typically have fewer restrictions on curriculum, structure, hiring, etc.) they are more responsive to their students. In some cases, charters use innovative strategies to meet the needs of underserved students. Because they usually report to their own boards, charter schools argue that they have a high level of accountability, and that they have a strong track record of success.

While the National Education Association cautiously acknowledges some potential benefits that can be drawn from charters, they also point to accountability issues. Citing a report from the U.S. Department of Education on its web site, the NEA argues that, “…the U.S. Department of Education found that many charter school authorizers lack the capacity to adequately oversee charter school operations, often lack authority to implement formal sanctions, and rarely invoke the authority they do have to revoke or not renew a charter. Where charters have been revoked or not renewed, the decision has been linked more to noncompliance with state and federal regulations and financial problems than with academic performance.” In other words, when charters fail to make an academic difference for their students they don't always get shut down.

Obama’s speech today addressed some of those concerns, while simultaneously calling on states to lift any caps on the number of charter schools approved. I think that’s a sound way to move forward in a policy area with such strong potential. In addition to meeting the needs of many students today, the lessons learned as charter schools innovate and experiment could be more widely and effectively disseminated into the public school community at large – exponentially increasing the number of students they benefit. That’s what I believe as a student of policy. As a parent who values public education, I'm grateful that the option is there for my child.

Currently the Massachusetts Legislature is considering two proposals related to charter schools. The first, which the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association opposes, would create a separate budgetary account for charter school funding, and reduce the per-student state expenditure for each student. This is consistent with the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s position that charter schools should not divert public school funds at the local level.

The other proposal would, as President Obama suggested, lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the Commonwealth, and target their development to high need areas.

If you are a parent, a student, a teacher or just a concerned citizen in Massachusetts, you might want to weigh in on these proposals with your state legislators.

Have you had experience with charters, positive or negative? What do you think of President Obama’s casting of them as a tool for the “advancement of excellence?” As I learn more about the charter experience on the personal and professional level, I would appreciate your comments.