UUA and UCC Lobby on the REAL Act

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), the United Church of Christ (UUC), and Advocates for Youth lobbied together for the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act, on March 26, 2007. The REAL Act would provide federal funding for comprehensive sexuality education. The REAL Act is a much-needed alternative to the misleading and inadequate abstinence-only programs currently supported by the federal government.

The Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ have a history of working together to promote comprehensive sexuality education. The two denominations co-created the Our Whole Lives curriculum, a comprehensive sexuality course for use in congregations.

For more information about the REAL Act lobbying day, please visit the UUWorld, the United Church of Christ, and Advocates for Youth.

April 22nd: NCLB Conference Call for Unitarian Universalists

Promise the Children is organizing a conference call for Sunday, April 22nd, at 9pm EST, for children’s advocates to discuss No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Tamara Wilder will be our guest speaker. Ms. Wilder, an expert on NCLB, will talk with us about the pitfalls of NCLB, and how it must be changed to improve public education in the future.

Ms. Wilder is a Ph.D. candidate in Politics and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a M.A. in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University. Her research focuses on equity issues, accountability, school choice, and parent and community involvement in schools. Prior to graduate school she worked as a community organizer in Oakland, CA.

To register for the call, please e-mail me ()

NCLB is legislation that impacts public education and is up for reauthorization by the U.S. Congress this year. NCLB was enacted in 2002 with the goal of improving student assessment and achievement. However, NCLB has been widely criticized for placing a strong emphasis on standardized testing, and for imposing unfunded federal mandates.

The more informed Unitarian Universalist children’s advocates are about NCLB, the bigger an impact we can have on the reauthorization debate. So please join us on Sunday, April 22nd, at 9pm (EST), and e-mail me () to register today.

Children Advocating for Themselves

As I walked into my neighborhood coffee shop yesterday, I saw the Boston Globe sitting face-up on the counter, and this headline grabbed my eye: “Lobbying at Age 8: She Asks Legislators for METCO Funding.” The article focused on Melissa Solomon, a participant in the METCO program. Eight years old, Solomon already is learning to advocate for herself and for other children who need access to educational opportunities. This is a great example of how children can be taught change-making skills, in a way that is relevant to their own lives. (Although it is sad that children need these skills at such a young age, because the government often does not provide basic services for children).