Legislative Lunchbox v. 6

"Do legislators deserve the same apples teachers get for their efforts in education? Every Friday, "Hoosier Mom on Politics" makes that decision, giving two legislators a good or bad apple, depending on their support of Public Education and Indiana’s children. Check back every Friday at lunchtime to see what the Hoosier Mom packs in the Legislator Lunchbox for the week!

For this post of the “Legislative Lunchbox”, I chose to pack a lunch for State Representative Bob Behning (R- Indianapolis) and State Representative Earline Rogers (D- Gary).

Representative Earline Rogers received a good apple today for the legislation she authored to direct the Department of Education to develop the "Family Friendly School Designation." It would allow schools to apply to the state agency for the title that signals a strong level of family and parental involvement in student education. The bill would give the Department of Education the ability to draft the guidelines for the designation, ideally with teacher and parent input. This is exactly the kind of civic participation that is needed to make not only our schools exceed, but also to allow our Hoosier state to thrive. A long body of scholarly research has shown that parent involvement in education contributes in many ways to more effective schools and better educational outcomes for children. Better attendance rates, higher test scores, passing classes, improved social skills and behavior, and graduation with progression into post-secondary education are attributed to parent involvement in schools. This designation would not only encourage a more collaborative environment in schools across the state, it will help Hoosier children become more successful students and help parents become advocates with educators for high-quality educational outcomes. Well done Ms. Rogers! With bi-partisan support, I look forward to seeing this bill progress through the chambers and into our mainstream Hoosier life.

On the contrary, Representative Bob Behning received a bad apple this week when - without hesitation - he refused to hear SB 193. This bill calls for public hearings in every Congressional district to discuss the relevancy and appropriateness of the  Common Core national standards as Indiana academic standards. Mr. Behning said,

• "We've never gone to that level of public input. Frankly, most of the public would not have a very easy time even understanding what standards are, let alone trying to help form them."

You must be joking with me. Most of the public is not intelligent enough to have a conversation about what our children are learning? Mr. Behning, your comment smacks of condescension and arrogance that I don't particularly find appealing in a legislator whose job is to serve the people. You are not the Almighty, put in your position because you have some special ability to discern educational issues more effectively than the rest of us. Quite the opposite - you are only elected on the good will of the people in your district. It might be time to come down off that "high-horse" you hoisted yourself upon, and realize that civic participation is an essential component in effective democracies. You need to think about the implications of your comment in regards to your own election - if we aren't smart enough to have conversation about our kids with our teachers, are you suggesting we aren't smart enough to vote, too?


The Hoosier Mom hopes all the readers will spread the word about the Legislative Lunchbox. Feel free to email me with suggestions for next week’s lunch: for whom should I pack lunch and why?