Parents.
A Force of Nature.
That’s my mom, Rosemary LoDolce, or Rose for short, in a collage I built for Mother’s Day. She was a force of nature. All mothers are.
Up from little, raised by an industrious mother & father during the depression, they had to be entrepreneurial to survive, on top of which they were native Italians, treated ill much of the time. Mom grew up to be a daring woman, breaking traditions at every turn, always working at some new enterprise to help Dad make ends meet for us. She was hard on us but she was fun. And smart. And regardless of the fights you were currently having - which were often waged and solved quickly in our Italian household - she would fight for her kids no matter what.
I admire all the moms out there who do the same thing, every day, for their own kids, as advocates for others’ kids, as advocates for what is good and just. Moms like Diana Diaz-Harrison who fought for Sammy to get the education he deserved because the traditional system couldn’t deliver for his neurodivergent, special needs. And like Cris Gullacy-Worrel, who with her own strong Cuban mom fought to be the best she could be and now helps other students do the same. Like LeDonna Griffin, who made sure her son had the school he deserved no matter what the odds. And like Lisa Keegan, the original pioneer of Arizona’s exceptional education freedom market. As a young mom and state legislator she got the nation’s best charter law in the country passed with a fierce resolve, ran for State Superintendent to protect and advance that law, and then proceeded to give life to new laws like hers all over the nation.
(clockwise from top left: Lisa, LeDonna, Cris, Diana)
Let these ladies be a model for us, for our kids, and for families everywhere.
The Parent Power! Index is Back
For the first time in two generations, programs and policies that give parents more power over their children’s education are accelerating across the United States, fueled not just by post-pandemic education concerns but a renewed understanding of the power of education freedom, according to a new report, the 2024 Parent Power! Index, from the Center for Education Reform (CER)
I’m so proud of this flagship effort which CER began in 1999, first with an old fashioned printed newsletter, then morphing into a weekly email, and then eventually the Parent Power! Index, which gets accolades not only from parents but policymakers and Governors as well, who vie for top places - and when they don’t get it, they actually inquire directly why! (Not naming names - you know who you are!)
While much has been written in the past few years about the incredible acceleration of education power being delivered to parents, consider that in the three-year period beginning 2021 through April 2024, 26 new and expanded laws governing parental options, additional flexibility to innovate, and education transparency have been implemented. The result is at least another 600,000 students having access to a variety of learning approaches across all education sectors. The number is more than half the amount of the students who have, according to research, exited traditional public schools in the Covid era.
And while that’s great news for families, particularly where traditional systems have improved to compete for parents, there’s still so much to do in most states that moms and dads all over the country need to be active, informed and vigilant for their kids. The Parent Power! Index, including the interactive map, state rankings, and study methodology, can be found here.
Child Depreciation?
Larry Sands, a veteran, retired 28-year classroom teacher, makes it clear in his blog this week why parents must continue to fight for their kids’ education. The data and statistics about what’s happening to them at the hands of impersonal and ineffective schools boggles the mind.
“Many students are venting their unhappiness by regularly ditching school. In fact, an estimated 26% of public school students were considered chronically absent in 2023, up from 15% before the pandemic, per the most recent data compiled by the American Enterprise Institute. Chronic absence is typically defined as missing at least 10% of the school year, or about 18 days, for any reason. AEI Senior Fellow Nat Malkus notes that in 33 of 39 states reporting data, chronic absenteeism rates improved in 2023 but still remained 75% higher than the pre-pandemic baseline.”
Then there’s the paltry reading scores, the mental health challenges, and just plain failure. These are issues only a parent with the resolve can solve.
Nothing like a Mom with a Mission
Speaking of a force, here’s the VP of the Yass Prize, Caroline Allen, an accomplished and veteran educator who we were fortunate to snag to run the Yass effort when we first started it. She’s enjoying a much deserved maternity leave with her newborn and family now, but when she’s at full tilt, she works to ensure all moms everywhere have the education they deserve. Woe to those who stand in the way of a mom on a mission! (And kudos to AFC for using our battle-tested phrase for their latest initiative!)
Sending virtual flowers that my daughter once made me to all moms, especially those I love, near and far… Jeanne
