Champions of Change: Winning the Race to Educate Our Kids

Last week, as part of the Champions of Change series, highlighting people making a difference, parents who are impacting their communities through their involvement in education came to a roundtable at the White House. During the roundtable they shared their experiences and ideas on strengthening our schools.

Some of the participants were also delegates to Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress's Education and Learning conference earlier that week. Catherine McManus from Parenting Magazine shares her experience:

After spending four days with some of the most passionate voices for improving our nation’s schools at Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference, it seemed a fitting conclusion to our time together in Washington, D.C. to culminate the experience with a roundtable discussion at The White House among the true “Champions of Change” fighting for better educational opportunities for our nation’s children: their parents.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in his confirmation hearings that education is the “civil rights issue of our generation.”  Parenting has had the honor of gathering outstanding mom education advocates from all over the country to exchange ideas with Secretary Duncan on how to most effectively work towards his goals for improving our country’s school system at the Mom Congress conference, and this year’s event left attendees inspired by his words: “Children don’t vote. They don’t have lobbyists. They don’t have unions. You’ve got to be that voice.”

Each of those all-important voices at the White House roundtable – whether from one of our amazing Mom Congress delegates or a local PTA leader working towards improving DC-area schools – proved that the most powerful movement in education reform can start with one mom raising her hand and speaking up about what’s best for her child. 

Learn more about the parents that lent their expertise to the Champions of Change roundtable on education and listen to their tips on how you can get involved in winning the race to educate our kids. If you know someone who is doing extraordinary things to make a difference in your community, nominate them to be a Champion of Change.