Soledad O’Brien, Parents Magazine, the Election, and What Education has to do with the American Dream

Last updated on: September 7, 2012 at 12:35 pm by Amy Julia Becker

Soledad O’Brien, Parents Magazine, the Election, and What Education has to do with the American Dream 2012-09-07T12:35:31-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

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A few months ago, Parents Magazine and CNN hosted a joint luncheon with an array of moms in order to talk about the upcoming election. As a part of my new gig blogging about the election with parents.com, I had a chance to meet some awesome women and participate in a two-hour conversation with Soledad O’Brien as the moderator. The food was really good too.

Anyway, some portion of our conversation shows up in this month’s Parents Magazine: What Moms Want in a President. I’m quoted talking about special education, although I must say I would expand upon the thought if given the chance. I spoke up when the topic came around to education, and here’s what the article records:

Amy Julia Becker, 35, who defines herself as a moderate, has a 61/2-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, as well as a 4-year-old and a 20-month-old. Her older daughter received early intervention from the time she was born, sometimes with four in-home therapy visits per week, and now she’s in a mainstream classroom. “Schools are set up to say, ‘it costs x number of dollars per child,’ but it costs a lot more to educate my daughter than it does to educate another child,” she said. “We need to figure out what we want in our community. Do we want kids educated side by side? Do we want to send kids out of district? There are a lot of conversations we need to have.”

As any reader of this blog knows, I’m a big supporter of inclusive education–in which children with special needs receive their educational instruction in a classroom with their peers– because I believe it benefits our whole community. But I also think it’s important to recognize the costs placed upon our educational system as a result of the specialized services many children receive. One reason American public schools struggle when compared to those of other nations or when compared to private schools is that they endeavor to educate everyone. I see this inclusion as one of the hallmarks not only of American education but of our nation itself–of the dream initiated by our founders and articulated so well by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. But as a society we need to acknowledge that when dreams become reality they cost money, even as they reap rewards.

So, check out Parents Magazine, “What Moms Want in a President” and let me know what you think. And you’ll have more of my thoughts on this election next week…

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