PDM's Issues Conference

I was part of the team that organized Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts' Issues Conference on March 19. The event featured two plenary sessions - one on Climate Change and the other on Funding Public Education.

• Joining for Climate Change were Representative Paul Mark (2nd Berkshire), Joel Wool (Clean Water Action & Mass Power Forward), and Cathy Buckley (Massachusetts Sierra Club)
• The session on Funding Public Education featured Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (2nd Suffolk), Superintendent Dr. Mary Bourque (Chelsea PUblic Schools), Tracy Novick (blogger, Field Director MASC), Colin Jones (Policy Analyst, MassBudget), and Kevin Murray (Executive Director, The Program for Human Rights and the Global Economy)

In between the two sessions, we had an "issues speed dating" segment. Nine presenters, each hosted three 15-minute quick takes on 9 issues: Eric Shupin on Affordable Housing, Mark Breslow on Carbon Pricing, Lew Finfer on Worker's Rights, Josh Beardsley on Criminal Justice/Prison Reform, Kade Crockford on Electronic Privacy, Mason Dunn on Transgender Rights, Jordan Berg-Powers on Key Upcoming Legislative Issues, and Tracy Novick on Social Media for Advocacy.

Here's the storify of the event.

Time to Bring Public Policy and Social Media Together for Progress

I've had a great summer, much of it spent off the grid unplugged from email, tapping into social media for fun. It's been great connecting on a more personal level with family and friends in real time talking, laughing, crying, sharing, hugging.

Thinking back to when Facebook arrived on the scene in February 2004: I was slow to adopt. I signed up eventually and connected to family and local friends. When Twitter followed in March 2006, I decided I was not going to try to keep up with yet another platform. Not so for businesses, corporations, institutions, and the like. Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook opened up a whole new world of marketing strategy for them.

"We don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it." ~ Erik Qualman

After being accepted in 2011 into a 6-month program for women interested in pursuing political office, I was introduced to Twitter and quickly grew to enjoy it. I set myself up on LinkedIn later that same year and leaned into the idea of using Facebook as a way to connect with folks on a range of issues, too. This video gives a snapshot of social media at the time:



Gone are the questions asking if social media is here to stay. Clearly they are, though how kids and adults are using social media today has changed dramatically.

Consider a PEW study published earlier this year that provides an overview on American teens and their use of technology and social media. One finding showed that 92% of teens were online everyday, with 24% online "almost constantly".

So much has changed - and is changing - across our media-saturated landscape. Schools and individual teachers are working to bring media literacy to students, but media literacy is not broadly implemented in our public schools and media literacy is rarely part of the public debate on education. Still, more and more politicians and policymakers are getting on twitter and facebook to connect to their stakeholders and constituents.

I'm a member of the national advisory council for Media Literacy Now. We want our elected representatives and policymakers to engage with us on social media. As more and more elected people are engaging stakeholders and constituents through Twitter and Facebook, we can connect with them in meaningful ways to impact awareness of the urgent need for media literacy education and other key public policy issues of our time.

* * *
Posts, Podcasts, tweets

• Educational Software Gets Attention from State Politicians
• ISTE: Standardized curriculum for teaching tech skills
• 9 things we learned about phones from a teenager
• Growing up Digital: 3 truths for the adults
• A Parent's Guide to All that "EdTech" in Your Kid's Classroom

Should apps be part of a library’s story time? Ask @mediatrician: http://t.co/qpvRT2r27a #BackToSchool

— CtrMediaChildHealth (@cmch_boston) September 2, 2015

Tips for an online age: What not to share http://t.co/JYnTEtDlso @MBrodeur via @BostonGlobe

— MediaLiteracyNow.org (@MediaLitNow) September 1, 2015

---
Addendum: cross-posted September 9 on Media Literacy Now blog

UP/Lexington

As I have done for the past eight years, I attended Lexington's Democratic Caucus last Saturday, February 8. What was different this year was that there was a push for electing a slate of unpledged progressive delegates to attend this year's Democratic Convention. I ran (and won) as an unpledged progressive (UP).

I am unpledged but not uncommitted! I am committed to identifying the best progressive candidate for Governor and to push all the candidates for Governor to speak up for progressive values and issues.

Read the related post by Peter Enrich to Blue Mass Group.

Our initial effort was a great success in Lexington. Of a total of 23 possible elected delegates, all 11 from our slate were elected, plus one more who joined the slate at the last moment.

And I've heard that we also have a big UP slate from Arlington, with good prospects elsewhere.

Bottom line is that it feels like we may really be onto something here. I'll be rolling up my sleeves for the follow through. Stay tuned.

School Leaders @Social Media

More and more people are using platforms like twitter, facebook, and LinkedIn to engage, inform, educate, and network.

• I set up my facebook page early in October 2011 in anticipation of my 2012 re-election to the Lexington School Committee (feel free to visit and "Like"...)

• I joined twitter in February 2011 (tweets at right...). If one thinks of twitter as a microblog, then this blog elaborates on thoughts, ideas, and scenes I have tweeted about.

• I beefed up my LinkedIn profile after attending a women's leadership conference - I've tried to maintain and build connections ever since.

So, it was with interest that I responded to a query sent to American School Board Journal subscribers last year about using social media - and would I be interested in talking to someone from ASBJ about it?

A small part of my conversation with ASBJ senior editor Lawrence Hardy is featured in the February edition of ASBJ and may be accessed HERE. I was pleased to contribute to the topic and agree that there is a tremendous opportunity to positively promote the work of schools and districts - and to engage with the international community on important education and humanitarian issues of our time.

Will Congress Expand Early Education?

Earlier this year, President Obama proposed a new partnership with states that would provide universal, high-quality, full-day preschool for 4-year olds from low- and moderate-income families. Last week, Secretary Arne Duncan joined members of Congress, business and military leaders, law enforcement officials, educators, and parents to voice support for a landmark early learning bill.

Introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), the Strong Start for America's Children Act would improve and expand high-quality early learning opportunities for children from birth to age five.

If signed into law, the new bill will accelerate the progress that states already are making to implement high-quality preschool programs and ensure that these programs are accessible to children who need them the most.



Early nurturing, nutrition, and stimulation increase a child's ability to learn and thrive over a lifetime. Read the Bill Summary of the Committee on Education & the Workforce and contact your Congressional Representative to voice your support.

Media Literacy Education

Advocates in support of the Media Literacy Bill (S.213) were in good company in Room A-1 of the State House on the morning of October 31st. Below is the testimony of Christina Brown on behalf of the Massachusetts PTA, followed by my testimony on behalf of the MASC Legislative Committee.

My name is Christina Brown; I am a parent, educator, and a proud member of the Massachusetts Parent TeacherAssociation, an affiliate of National PTA, the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the country, here to speak on behalf of the needs of families, parents, and children.  

Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today on the critical issue facing children in the 21^st Century, media literacy. Right now there are children all over the Commonwealth who have in their hands, in their lockers, and in their backpacks devices that connect them to the greatest collection of marketing, images, information, videos, social media, and personal data collection tools in the history of our species. This portable collection of media grows exponentially every day and our digital natives naively assume that knowing how to manipulate the functions of these devices means they understand and can make wise decisions about the content that pours out in torrents. 

As a parent of a second-grader, I know my days of having control over the media that my child has access to are limited.  My ban on his using electronic devices that connect him to this collection of media could end any moment as there is no place a child can go where there are not smart phones and tablets. I know full well that this media is as valuable as it is his dangerous to his development and socialization. I also know there are marketers doing brain research at this moment to understand how to keep him engaged and on their screen. I know that he hears my voice in his head asking him to think critically, ask himself what is being sold to him, is this true, what is the evidence for the veracity of the claim that comes with deceptively attractive graphics and colors? But I know parents can't do this alone.

This bill asks that in addition to their families' voices, children in the Commonwealth also hear the voices of their well-trained and skilled teachers who are provided with resources to support the development of media literacy in our children. Teachers can join parents on the frontline and add to the knowledge and volume of critical questions children ask themselves as they use new technology and navigate our 21^st Century world. In the same way MA teachers will for thirteen years support children's development as literate individual who are prepared for college and career as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners as detailed in the MA Frameworks, there is a desperate need for this comprehensive literacy instruction to fully include media literacy to support students in navigating a and increasingly complex media landscape.

The Mass PTA Position on Consumerism dedicates us to:

I. support efforts to protect children from exploitive marketing through advocacy, education, and collaboration; and

II. To support, expand, and improve efforts to inform parents on media and technology safety issues.

The Mass PTA Position on Technology in Schools dedicates us to:

I. Support, expand, and improve efforts that increase knowledge and skills for students to access, analyze, evaluate, navigate, and communicate a variety of media messages from the internet and other media sources.

The Mass PTA Position on Education of the Whole Child dedicates us to:

I. Support, expand and improve resources to ensure schools give every child access to a rich array of subjects and address children's basic emotional and physical needs.

II. Support, expand, and improve resources to ensure children are healthy, engaged, supported, challenged, and safe.

Media education is about making sure that students are prepared to think critically and ask the right questions throughout the 21^st Century and into the 22^nd Century. And it is essential, now more than ever that we give them skills they need for the lifetime that extends well-beyond their K-12 years. Thank you.

Christina Brown,

Massachusetts PTA

405 Waltham Street, #147

Lexington MA 02421

617/861-7910

* * *

Honorable Co-Chairs, members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the importance of Media Literacy in Education. I speak as a school committee member and member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committee’s Legislative Committee.

Members of locally elected school committees are very sensitive to public policy overload, education legislation, or any legislation that would mandate course curriculum content. At a meeting of the MASC Legislative Committee last Thursday night, members thoughtfully considered, then voted unanimously to support S.213 for the following reasons:

• The Bill is not written as a mandate. Media literacy is pedagogy, a method of teaching, not a subject area. One can incorporate media literacy into any subject. So, it’s not an add-on, but rather a powerful way to teach a subject that is relevant and engaging to kids who live in a powerful 24/7 media environment.
• The MTA endorses S.213 and has been on board as long as the Massachusetts PTA.
• It’s a matter of equity. Some districts already recognize that media literacy is written into the Common Core State Standards and those districts are moving forward to integrate media analysis; students risk falling behind schools and districts that are doing a better job preparing their students for work and life.
• This Bill calls upon the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to assist districts with implementing comprehensive media literacy education for the purpose of developing stronger critical analysis skills and independent thinking skills; these skills are in tune with curriculum frameworks aligned to Common Core State Standards and necessary for navigating our media-saturated world.

Today, literacy means media literacy. When you consider that nearly 6 trillion ads are displayed online each year[1], 400 million tweets are sent daily[2], and 4.75 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook every day[3], it’s vital that students question and understand media’s commercial and political messages –– and to create their own messages and responses to 24/7 media. Thank you.

Mary Ann Stewart

Lexington MA 02420

---

[1] U.S. Digital Future in Focus 2013, www.comScore.com

[2] http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-21/business/37889387_1_tweets-jack-dorsey-twitter, by Hayley Tsukayama, March 21, 2013

[3]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151908376716729&set=a.10151908376636729.1073741825.20531316728&type=3&theater

Public Hearing on Media Literacy Bill

State House, Boston

I spent the better part of Halloween morning at the Massachusetts State House, specifically in Hearing Room A-1, for a Public Hearing convened by the Joint Committee on Education. The hearing was dedicated to proposed bills on curriculum in K-12 public schools, that included teaching of genocide, Civics education, and more. It was standing room only. Seats were filled and walls lined with staff, press, teachers, students, and advocates in attendance to hear testimony in support of a range of bills that would impact K-12 curriculum in public schools. I was there to testify in support of the Media Literacy Bill (S.213/H.472) on behalf of the MASC Legislative Committee.

Advocates speak in support
of S.213 before the Joint
Committee on Education

Room A-1

Bill S.213 is unique in that it is not written as a mandate for teachers or districts to teach a particular subject. Rather, Media Literacy is a methodology, a pedagogy, a way of teaching that incorporates strategies for critical analysis in a way that is relevant and engaging to kids. Teachers recognize the need for media literacy - they see the very real effects of too much media, unhealthy media, and lack of critical analysis. Many teachers are using media literacy across many content areas already and the Massachusetts Teacher's Association endorses this bill; they have been on board as long as the Massachusetts PTA. Some school systems recognize that media literacy is written into the Common Core standards and those districts are moving forward to incorporate it throughout all content areas. Those who are not risk falling behind the schools that are doing a better job preparing their students for work and life in the 21st century.

Literacy Today = Media Literacy

Lexington's community forum about the positive and negative impact of media on societal behavior and the development of children got me thinking about our current media landscape and what individuals, families, and communities can do to improve positive outcomes. The forum was held on October 10th at Lexington High School and was co-sponsored by the School Committee, League of Women Voters, and numerous Town and School Department groups, and individuals.

The impact of media on children is always a topic of concern and today's media landscape has dramatically changed over the last decade; all of us are now living in a world of 24/7 media saturation. One startling finding of a Kaiser Family Foundation survey (2010) showed that young people are devoting more than 7.5 hours each day with entertainment media - an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes since 2004. The survey also found that:

"...because they spend so much of that time 'media multi-tasking' (using more than one device/medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7..."

Schools and individual teachers are working to bring media literacy to students, but media literacy is not broadly implemented in our public schools and media literacy is rarely part of the public debate on education. A bill in the Massachusetts State Legislature (S.213) proposes to change that.

S.213/H.472 (language is identical in both bills) would bring media literacy education to all Massachusetts K-12 public school classrooms. Media literacy education teaches students to apply critical thinking to messaging and to use media to create their own messages. It's a methodology, a pedagogy, a strategy and key skill that's vital to the health and well-being of all children, as well as to their participation in the civic and economic life of our democracy.

The irony is that, used well, media can entertain and inform our children in positive ways. However, since most children are not taught to use media thoughtfully, they are not able to think critically about it's content. Research shows that media literacy education has been effective in reducing risky behaviors among children and youth of all ages and for all topics of focus, such as tobacco use, violence, and sex.

Media Literacy Now, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization focusing on grassroots and legislative media literacy activity for K-12 schools in each state, has formed a coalition in support of S.213. Public testimony is being planned to present to the Joint Committee on Education's public hearing on Thursday, October 31, 2013. If you are interested in being in touch with parents, teachers, and others working for media literacy education in our schools, visit their website, where you can learn more about media literacy and sign up to join their mailing list. Watch on this site, too, for updates to this issue.

Panel members, Anthony Brooks, moderator

Tom Fiedler, Dean, College of Communication, Boston University

Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D. Professor Emerita, Lesley University

Michael Rich, MD, MPH, Director and Founder of the Center on Media and 

Child Health at Boston Children's Hospital

Raise Up Massachusetts

The Raise Up Massachusetts ballot initiative would see two questions added to the General Election Ballot in November 2014. Voters would be asked to approve an increase to the minimum wage and to guarantee paid sick time for employers with eleven or more employees working a minimum of 30 hours each week. The effort of gathering the required 70,000 signatures is engaging activists all across the Commonwealth.

If successful, we would see the minimum wage increased from $8.00 per hour to $10.50 per hour, phased in over two years and indexed to the inflation rate after January 1, 2016. Paid sick leave would be guaranteed for employees working in a business with eleven or more employees working 30 hours or more per week; each employee would receive one hour of sick leave for each 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year. For employees in a business with fewer than 11 employees, employers would be asked to honor the time each employee accrued.

The first step in the ballot initiative process was achieved this past August and signature papers became available in mid-September. The number of signatures required for this ballot initiative to move forward is about 70,000 certified signatures - - and to ensure that we will have sufficient number of signatures for certification we are aiming for a collection of about 100,000 signatures. This effort is an opportunity to strengthen organizations and a statewide movement for economic justice!

We are organized in Lexington and have committed to getting about 2,000 signatures and of that, I have agreed to help gather at least 1,000 signatures. For the past three weeks, I have been knocking doors in my precinct (P1) and have been present at several events held in Town, and been staked out at the Tuesday afternoon Farmer's Market. It's a great feeling to be out in these glorious fall days, working to improve pay and working benefits for folks. Most of the people I talk with support the initiative.

I have posted previously on the impact of low-wage work on families. If we are successful in getting the certified signatures, we qualify putting the questions to voters in November of 2014. If the referendum passes, we win a raise and new benefits for over one million workers in Massachusetts, and push states around the country to follow our lead. This is an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of low-income workers in our Commonwealth!

PDM

In summer of 2007, I was fortunate to spend two days in a workshop hosted by the Public Policy Institute (now Massachusetts Leadership Academy) and led by Patrick Bresette from Demos | Public Works. The topic was how to effectively frame conversations around public structures.

An Army of Advocates

Members of Mass PTA in DC, March 2013

Even before the financial crisis of 2008, many of our children were attending inadequately funded and over-crowded schools. Silent Auctions, Spring Fairs, and the like, are great community-building events that also raise money to shore up some budget shortfalls, but they can only go so far.

The Blog

I'm involved in a number of issue advocacy groups: Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts (PDM), Massachusetts PTA (non-partisan), Progressive Massachusetts (Progressive Mass), League of Women Voters/Lexington (non-partisan), and others.

I decided to start this blog to write about what's going on with the various groups and campaigns. If you're interested in what's posted here, consider adding your email to the "follow by email" button at right. You'll get the blog updates and new posts automatically.

To learn more about me, follow me on twitter @MAStewartMA, check out my vizify profile and School Committee website.

I invite your comments, questions, or any feedback you wish to share. Use the contact form at right.

Massachusetts Kids Count Blog

The Kids Count Blog is a group blog about the well-being of children in Massachusetts. A wide range of issues affecting children are covered: from education and child care to juvenile justice and health. 

Many advocates and advocacy organizations were invited to guest post all week (June 17-21, 2013) as the Commonwealth marked the twentieth anniversary of the landmark Massachusetts Education Reform Act (signed into law on June 18, 1993). My post appeared on June 20, 2013 - click on the following link to read it: MERA::Reality Check.