Today we don’t talk enough about John Dewey’s call to educational equity and its impact on democracy. Instead, small groups of parents (most notably Moms for Liberty) are prompting battles in local school boards to ban books, to fight racially inclusive curriculum, and to limit the rights and constrain the very existence of transgender and questioning youth.
But some other parents – the majority it seems -- are fighting back to say clearly that these are not concerns they care about. What DO they care about? If this episode’s guests are taken seriously, families care about their children’s happiness, curiosity, safety, diversity, relationships – and recess!! It’s not that they don’t want academic learning for their youngsters, but they seem to understand … as most educators do, that happiness, curiosity, etc. will ensure the right academic achievement to power both economic capacity and living well.
00:00 Introduction to the Second Season
Dr. Barbara Stengel 01:24 What do we mean when we invoke parents rights?
Stengel 04:29 Grandmas for Love challenge Moms for Liberty
Stengel; Dr. Shirley Showalter, former President of Goshen College 11:57 Do other parents agree with Grandmas for Love? It seems so!
Stengel 12:15 The special view of parents in rural areas
Amanda West, expectant mother and Bailey resident; Stengel 18:04 Supporting the Bailey grad who now has adult responsibilities
Ithaca Black, Bailey parent and mother of Maia; Stengel 22:40 Committing to the “neediest” neighborhood school
Christiane Buggs, President of the MNPS School Board and mother of Christopher; Stengel 29:50 What to do about school when your kids need very different things?
Liz Self, educator and mother of Oliver, Emme, and Zola; Stengel 39:32 How a child with multiple disabilities shapes everybody’s experience
Becky Peterson, educator and mother of Finn, Hawk, and Lucy; Stengel 47:44 Use the PTA as an entrée to care for your kids
Jess Houde, educator and mother of three enrolled in the same district; Stengel 53:33 What do dads want?
Stu Smith, father of Stuie and Alana and Johnny Benson, father of Bailey and Jojo; Stengel 1:01.58 What parents want … no surprise
Stengel 1:03:00 The link between love and success/achievement
Showalter, Stengel 1:04:40 Taking an alternate look at the whys and wherefores of parental choice
1:06:15 Join us next time to dive into “the science of reading.”
Many thanks to the guests who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode! These include Shirley Showalter, Amanda West, Ithaca Black, Christiane Buggs, Liz Self, Becky Peterson, Johnny Benson, and Stu Smith.
As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:
What is Chasing Bailey?
Chasing Bailey is a podcast about a group of teachers, leaders, and others who dedicated themselves to changing the fortunes of a failing middle school in Nashville TN from 2012 to 2016.
They succeeded, but their achievement was bittersweet.
In 2016, the district closed that school.
Still, those who were there knew they had stumbled onto something special, some important educational truths that might help all of us find our way out of the morass that COVID 19 has left us in.