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The Politics of Education: Who Speaks for the Students?

Study Group Leader:  Margaret McKenna, educator, political activist and civil rights lawyer.
Tuesdays, 4:15-5:45pm
FDR

Education is the most powerful lever we have moved people out of poverty. Today in the United States is more difficult to move up in society than many other industrialized countries. It is also true today that our educational system has the largest achievement gap we have ever seen. We are in the process of losing several generations because they have not had the opportunity to access high-quality education. Education is a fundamental right in this country and we need to find long-term solutions to the challenges. Education reform is almost as old as the United States and is on everyone's political agenda. We often have candidates who are the education candidate whether it is for president governor or mayor.

 Over the last decade we have seen a number of initiatives using “disruptive” programs to impact education. High-stakes testing, charter schools, teacher evaluations, alternative teacher preparation programs (including Teach for America) have ardent supporters and critics, some ideologically based and many politically based.

This study group will explore the major policy and political issues involved in education and an education reform. Are there real answers to the challenges? What does it take to find them and implement them? What are the initiatives that are working? What kind of political courage does it take to be successful in this area?

2/14 Education and Politics: Then and Now

Education is route to opportunity and everyone is an expert. They went to school their children went to school they live near a school. Everyone has an opinion. How did something that began with a mission to provide everyone with common understandings and create active citizens become so politicized?

2/21 Hunger, Academic Achievement and Indifference.
 
Guest: Crystal FitzSimons, director of school and out of school programs, food research and ActionCouncil;director, Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom Collaborative( NEA,NAESP,SNF)  

One out of 4 children in the United States is in the food insecure setting…. meaning they are hungry. Research has shown that hungry children are two thirds more likely to suffer from developmental delays. Federal programs pay for free and reduced cost meals but the many schools utilize them.  Why don't we hear policy and political leaders talking about this issue? How can we as the most resourced country in the world allow this to happen?

2/28 Obama polices: race to the top, charter schools, and fund for innovation

Guest:
Carmel Martin, assistant secretary for research and evaluation US Department of Education, former senior advisor on education Sen. Ted Kennedy
        

This session will discuss the Obama's administration's approach and changes to No Child Left Behind. Where did Race To The Top come from and who's winning. What has the response been to the innovation fund challenge?

3/6 Equaling The Playing Field: Out Of School Time

Guests:
Gary Huggins, CEO, national summer learning Association, formally executive director Aspen Institute's commission on no Child left behind
Chris Gabrieli, Founder, Center on Time and Learning, businessman, author, candidate for Massachusetts governor

Do we expect children from low income under resourced families to compete with more affluent children when they spend the same amount of time in school. We will explore the role and impact of afterschool programs summer school and extended day.

3/8  2:30 – 3:30 special session: Does Teach for America Work?  Do the economics make sense?

Guest: Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO Teach for America
                                     

3/20 Who Can Impact Educational Access And Quality? Governors? Mayors? School Committees?  Can anyone make a difference?

This will be a combined group with Class Warfare: Politics of the Rich, Poor and Struggling Middle Class

Guests: Governor Ted Strickland, Mayor Kathy Taylor, and Cambridge, Ma. Superintendent, Moderator Margaret McKenna

Candidates promise school reform.  What kind of power does an elected official really have to improve education? The panel will explore successes, failures and limitations on office holders ability to change education policy and practice.

3/27 The Bush No Child Left Behind Initiative

Guest Susan Newman, professor of education University of Michigan, author and former assistant secretary elementary and secondary school US Department of Education under president Bush administration. Dr. Newman was the initiator and chief implementer of NCLB.

4/3 Teachers: recruiting, training, evaluating, retaining..
what works.

There has been a great deal of criticism of teaching, teachers and Schools of Education.  We will look at some of the data and some of the political arguments .

4/10 Save Our Schools: National Call To Action

Guest: Nancy Carlsson Paige, co-founder Save Our Schools, professor emerita Lesley University, author. Nancy and her son Matt Damon have declined the “friend of education award” from the national education Association because of a policy difference.