The Educated Parent: Coming soon

This is The Educated Parent, a newsletter to help parents become better advocates for their kid and all kids.

I have a PhD in political science with a specialty in education politics. As a professor at Columbia’s Teachers College and other institutions, I taught classes on education policy and American government. I have been an education writer for ten years, publishing my work in many publications, including The Atlantic, Edutopia, and more.

I’m also a parent, so I totally understand the frustrations of advocating for your kid in a system that doesn’t always enjoy input from parents. I also feel the pressure to balance my advocacy for own children, with advocating for kids outside my own little world. Many of us were forced to play a very active role in educating our children over the pandemic, and want to continue thinking about those issues, now that the pressure from the pandemic have eased.

I’m here to help!

Every Monday, this newsletter will provide an “explainer” on one hot topic. I’ll decipher the latest academic research and bust through edu-speak to provide real answers and context on topics that parents care about, including:

• What is the most effective reading method?

• Why do some schools have more resources than others?

• Why should my child learn a foreign language in school?

• How can I convince my daughter to take a computer science class?

• Will a varsity sport really help my teen get into college?

Picture: Oregon School Classroom, 1915, Public Domain