Forbes ranks "Best & Worst Public Schools for the Buck"

A new article published in Forbes magazine is stirring up buzz among parents nationwide - not to mention public school officials, teachers, and education watchdogs.

These rankings reveal how wide the gaps are in the performance of public schools in different communities across the country. Granted, the demographic realities faced by some public school districts make for extra challenges. But with shifting demographics nationwide, it's getting harder and harder for local officials to excuse their failure by blaming such trends. (For example, looking up the census data for myself on Alexandria vs. our neighbors made me realize how lame and inaccurate claims are that we have a disproportionate burden of foreign-born and non-English-speaking children, compared to better-performing Arlington schools.) And it's shocking to see how pitifully some districts manage tax dollars, with failing schools, high dropout rates, and low test scores to show for the community's investment.

I take this quite personally, since my family and I are currently living in the Washington, DC suburb of Alexandria, VA - which happens to come in dead-last in the nation in the Forbes ranking. Our community's return-on-investment is even worse than the historically troubled District of Columbia! And it's our kids who will suffer the fallout. Sad and scary. Especially since I have a preschooler who will be ready for kindergarten in two years. And even more exasperating because our cost of living here is so high.

On the bright side, there are other districts across the country that are doing a much better job. Best management of public schools in the country, according to the Forbes ranking? Marin County, CA, outside San Francisco.

These are just the kind of things that really matter to us as mothers, and change absolutely depends on our political involvement. We need to get active at both the local and federal levels - advocating for better management and higher standards in our local districts, as well as speaking up for federal policy initiatives that will help narrow the disparities in the quality of schools nationwide.

Thomas the Toxic Tank Engine

In response to last week’s warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), advising consumers to immediately stop using Thomas the Tank Engine toys recalled due to toxic paint, the grassroots advocacy organization MomsRising is mobilizing parents and grandparents to say "Enough!"

Not surprisingly, moms don't like finding out that their children have been unknowingly exposed toxic Thomas toys at home, at preschool, at childcare for months - maybe years? - before this discovery was made and the recall issued. (And for the record, is there a kid anywhere in America who has NOT been in contact with the hottest toy on the market today??) Folks signing the MomsRising petition are simply urging members of Congress and CPSC make testing of children’s products for toxic chemicals more of a priority.

To sign the petition, click here.

For the CPSC’s current recall notice of the toxic Thomas toys, click here.

Celebrity politics could make the difference for The MOTHERS Act

Politico columnist Helena Andrews has posted a piece about leveraging celebrity visibility in the service of politics - a topic that particularly interests me as I continue to marvel at the good things accomplished by actress Brooke Shields and former New Jersey first lady Mary Jo Codey on behalf of women's and children's health. Both of these high-profilers have given a great deal of their time - not to mention their good names - to work for legislation and programs at the state and federal levels that will address postpartum depression (PPD) as the health crisis it is.

It's a long time coming - and Shields and Codey turning out recently to support The MOTHERS Act (and companion Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act) on the Hill drew more public attention to the issue than has been achieved in several years of earnest grassroots lobbying by activist mothers and NGOs.

If passed, The MOTHERS Act would provide education and screening on PPD that can lead to early identification and treatment. The bill includes two grants to help healthcare providers educate, identify, and treat perinatal mood disorders: Grants to states, to be allocated to materials and programs for local healthcare providers who work directly with women, and grants to states and local governments, public and nonprofit hospitals, and community-based organizations who deliver essential services to women with PPD and their families (including better outpatient support and home-based care, support services, and inpatient care when needed). The bill would also extend research funding to improve treatments, diagnostic tools and educaitonal materials for providers. The MOTHERS Act incorporates and is a companion bill to Congressman Rush's House bill, the Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, which would expend and intensify NIH's research on PPD and related conditions.Postpartum Support International (PSI) - for whom I volunteer in Washington, DC - continues to be the leader in policy advocacy, working to push the MOTHERS Act through Congress and to educate all Americans about this problem - THE most common complication of childbirth, affecting up to 20 percent of new mothers.

One mother = A Powerful Grassroots Movement: The Protest Easy Guns phenomenon

I love Little-Engines-That-Could success stories. It's inspiring to see what one committed person can get started! And here's proof: The Protest Easy Guns grassroots movement launched by my friend and neighbor Dr. Abby Spangler in Old Town Alexandria, VA, is mobilizing moms, dads, and other concerned citizens across the country.

The first demonstration by the "Alexandria 32," (of which I was one!) was held the weekend following the tragedy at Virginia Tech University. Days after the massacre, Abby found herself getting angrier and angrier about the many loopholes in gun laws that played a significant role in the killings. And she wasn't alone. She started talking to other moms - her neighbors, her children's preschool directors and parents - and found others had the same despair. We were all angry, saddened, and feeling helpless about the seemingly stagnant issue of gun accesss loopholes.

But Abby went one step behond venting and commiserating. She started networking, called the DC-area press, and organized a simple but powerful demonstration in our city square. Thirty-two moms from all backgrounds and political persuasions, myself included, wore black, lay down silently on the sidewalk for the short period of time it took the Virginia Tech killer to buy his weapons, and then went about our day feeling as if we had at least helped to spark meaningful conversation and debate amongst our neighbors.

Our little gathering made the local news...and then the national news. My husband, Noah, worked with Abby to host and develop a simple but effective website, and Abby put together a "protest in a box." Before you knew it, Abby had NYC Mayor Michael Bloomnburg joining her and 32+ New Yorkers in Times Square to stage their own protest. Additional protests have been held throughout Northern Virginia and in Maryland, Philadelphia, Brooklyn... Within the next week there are additional Protest Easy Guns "lie-ins" scheduled by local residents in Chicago, Dallas, and the Bronx.

If you would like to talk with Abby about covering this grassroots movement as a member of the press/blogosphere, or better yet - if you'd like to find out how to organize a Protest Easy Guns action in your community, click here.

Mamas changing the world

A call for nominations was recently issued for Mothers in Action - Celebrating Mothers with Global Portraits to Inform and Inspire, a forthcoming book featuring moms who are making the world a better place for women and children through their social advocacy.

The book will spotlight 20 mothers around the world and is a collaborative effort of international women's networks including Mothers Acting Up, the National Council for Research on Women, the Global Education Fund and others, and sales of the book will benefit many nonprofit coalitions working to support women worldwide.

Submit your nomination(s) for exemplary women who are:

* Mothers (birth or adoptive) to children under age 15,
* Involved in advocacy for women's or children's issues at a local or national level, and are
* Initiating positive change in their communities and inspiring other mothers to do the same

Mothers selected for profile in the book will come from diverse countries and continents, various socioeconomic backgrounds, and from rural and urban areas. They could be volunteers working for small local organizations that are addressing regional family issues like access to healthcare, gender equity or affordable childcare, or they might be policymakers initiating change for women on a larger scale, like removing barriers to education or employment. The common theme will be their ability to blend their roles as mothers within a larger concept of social responsibility, inspiring other mothers and children to identify issues that are important to them and take action.

According to the editors, "The emphasis on cultural diversity will serve as a window to the array of social issues affecting mothers worldwide, different approaches to balancing work/volunteerism and family, and the common threads that bind all caregivers, regardless of home or heritage."

Submit nominations (limit 5 per organization) by email to celebratingmothers-at-gmail-dot-com. Submissions should include:

1. Name of individual
2. Description of social activism- work or volunteer affiliations
3. Country of origin and residence
4. Number of children and ages
5. Contact information (email, telephone, address, website)

Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2007. For more info, contact Amie Brooke Nelson at 970.376.7608 or celebratingmothers-at-gmail-dot-com.