Parent Power & Education Advocacy
by Frederick M. Hess • Aug 17, 2012 at 8:12 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
Cross-posted from Education Week
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I recently moderated a fascinating discussion about parent engagement -- and not the kind that has to do with supervising field trips and providing extra classroom supplies. The focus was on how new organizations like DFER and 50CAN are seeking to mobilize parents when it comes to policy debates over school reform. This "parent power" trend is provoking some real questions about how these new efforts will play out on the ground. The conversation focused on twin new studies penned by two authors, my AEI colleague Andrew Kelly and Drew University Professor Pat McGuinn, examining parent power and reform advocacy. The panelists were an all-star lineup of Parent Revolution's Ben Austin, Derrell Bradford of Better Education for Kids, and Kenya Bradshaw of Stand for Children. (You can check out the full 90-minute discussion here.)
Pat examines the landscape of ed reform groups, detailing how missions, strategies, and tactics vary across these groups. Andrew explores the individual-level incentives to engage in parent activism, focusing his
