Take-Aways from Washington DC Trip

I attended the Educational Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) Washington DC Seminar the past four days. EPFP is a a 10-month in-service leadership development program sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership.  The  program is designed to provide a forum for exploring public policy issues, link participants to key figures who shape and influence the process, and develop new leadership skills for education and community leaders. 

The Washington Policy Seminar I just had the pleasure of experiencing focused on key issues and policy initiatives that are being heavily debated at this time. It couldn't have been a better time to be in DC to get a glimpse of how the government works as government officials work to agree on the budget to prevent a government shut down.  We heard opinions from a wide variety of perspectives (Democrats/Republicans/Senators/Representatives/DC Staff/Political Analysts) about what was actually occuring from minute to minute, and it was fascinating.   I will certainly read/listen to and watch the news from a different lens from now on.   There are so many factors our legislators must consider when making their decisions... and I believe that the general public is basically unaware of many of the hidden intricacies of any given issue and doesn't really understand the need for give-and-take to make the best decisions as the founders of our nation intended.   I have a new appreciation for the work that our legislators do and  have a better understanding of all the steps that are necessary in order for any work to get done.  I also believe that my voice is an important one that needs to be heard, and  I have established connections that will enable me to do this.

From the top-notch EPFP Washington Seminar speakers:

• Alan Berube, Brookings Institute:  "Educational leaders must confront the demographic data from metropolitan areas."  Metropolitan areas that are growing at a fast pace are ethnically diverse and embrace the needs of other cultures.  They also have the greatest percentage of people with 4 year college degrees.


• Norm Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute: "When looking at areas to reduce government spending, we must separate spending that is an investment in the future from those that can be reduced."


• Stan Collender, former staffs of the House and Senate Budget Committees: "One of our biggest problems is that people believe that education only benefits the person educated."


• Judy Schneider, Senior Analyst, Congressional Research Service: "Congress is not driven by policy alone; instead it is driven by policy, procedure, and politics."

I appreciate the opportunity to be involved with EPFP.   Thank you, MACUL, for sponsoring me.  Count on me to volunteer for the advocacy committee!