Moms share ideas and best practices at the Mom Congress. Lauren Drell/MNS
WASHINGTON -Two years ago, the editorial staff at Parenting magazine conjured up a pipe dream: a Mom Congress, during which moms from around the country would get together and share best practices and advocacy strategies for schools. Two years later, amidst reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, that dream became a reality. Fifty-one moms convened in the nation’s capital to meet with educators, advocates and nonprofits to formulate a “Lesson Plan For Change” for our nation’s schools.
The moms boast a broad range of experience in education—they’re principals, PTA presidents, science teachers and nonprofit organizers—and plan to bring reform to myriad issues. At the Congress, the moms lamented the flaws of standardized testing, bullying in schools, unhealthy lunches, and an apparent lack of accountability at their local schools.
The moms return to their home states knowing they are not alone in the fight for education reform, and that it’s not too late to change the future of America, which lies in their children’s hands.
“Just as [Secretary of Education] Arne Duncan says, the wonks can’t do it alone. They need an impassioned, large group…and that’s us,” said Susan Kane, Editor-in-Chief of Parenting magazine.
The October issue of Parenting will feature the Mom Congress’s insights about reform and how it can be achieved through grassroots methods at the state, local and federal levels.