8.11: Political Context

Political Context and Policy

Policies have a huge impact on children, families and how they experience the world around them. For instance, in 2001, President Bush signed into effect Public Law 107-110, better known as the No Child Left Behind Act mandating that schools administer achievement tests to students and publish those results so that parents have an idea of their children's performance. Additionally, the government would have information on the gaps in educational achievement between children from various social class, racial, and ethnic groups. Schools that showed significant gaps in these levels of performance were mandated to work toward narrowing these gaps. Educators criticized the policy for focusing too much on testing as the only indication of student performance. Target goals were considered unrealistic and set by the federal government rather than individual states. Because these requirements became increasingly unworkable for schools, changes to the law were requested. Children living in low SES communities suffered the most from this law. Children were expected to perform and meet unrealistic achievement levels while schools were not given the proper funding, tools, and resources to improve the quality of education to children.

School discipline policies that are below federal and state level can also be detrimental to children’s development. This idea fits in to the school to prison pipeline. It is widely acknowledged that American schools—urban public schools in particular— are defining and managing student discipline with an increasingly punitive approach. Specific examples of restrictive school policies include the imposition of dress codes or uniforms to promote conformity, as well as the use of student ID badges to facilitate immediate identification of troublemakers and deter would-be rule breakers Recent statistics indicate that over 80 percent of schools, and nearly all urban schools, now use some type of security and surveillance program. Aspects of these programs include the use of metal detectors, locked or monitored doors and gates, adult supervision of hallways, uniformed security guards or uniformed and armed security resource officers (SROs), security cameras, locker searches, clear school bag requirements, and drug-sniffing dogs. Research suggests that these trends in school punitiveness are not inconsequential (Welch & Payne 2010). For students perceived by teachers and administrators to be in the “school to prison pipeline” or on the “jailhouse track”, more punitive discipline is sanctioned, even when the particular violations are not illegal. Schools are more frequently responding to defiance of behavioral codes and broken laws with in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and expulsions (Welch & Payne 2010). These extreme measures contribute to children’s academic success and perception of self.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Protesters fighting for public change. (CC BY-SA 4.0; Ted Eytan via The Federalist)

Public Policies and Politics

Reflection

If tomorrow you could make one change to public policies that would make life better for children in your care or community, what would you change and why?

An investment in a well-crafted government program, using the tools that we know today to be highly effective, can have a huge development impact. Early childhood development programs are the foundations for successful social investments over the lifetime of an individual, especially for the poor. Investing more in this area is one of the most effective ways governments can improve economic mobility. Many governments are taking this lesson to heart and have increased investments in the early years. On a per capita basis, for example, governments are spending three times more on children aged 6–11 than on those aged 0–5. Moreover, early childhood investments tend to disproportionately favor physical infrastructure such as daycare facilities, while neglecting vital training and human capital. Recent research shows that some of the biggest returns on investment can come from modest programs that focus on improving the critical early interactions between young children and adults, be they parents, teachers, or caregivers (Berlinski & Schady, 2015).

Consider the influences from the exosystem and macrosystems that influence children and families as you watch The Raising of America video clips. Explore the website to learn more about the five-part documentary series that explores the question: Why are so many children in America faring so poorly? What are the consequences for the nation’s future? How might we, as a nation, do better? The series investigates these questions through different disciplines: What does science tell us about the enduring importance of early life experiences on the brain and body? What it is like to be a parent today? And what policies and structures help or hinder the raising of healthy, happy and compassionate children?

Did you know that wages for average Americans have stagnated over the last forty years. At the same time, the cost of essentials (like housing and education) has substantially increased while corporate profits have skyrocketed. How does this pattern affect childhood?

Some facts to consider from Raising of America

• Most women work and 40% of new mothers return to work by the time their babies are three months old. Former Investment banker and economist Robert Dugger says, “Our policies actually actively discourage parents from being able to take care of their children when they’re very young. They may instinctively want to do it, but we don’t make it easy for them.”
• Ashley a welfare recipient says, “Everybody thinks that you get state assistance, well you’re just lazy and you don’t want to work. That’s not the case for the majority and that’s sure not the case for me.” Given its inaccuracy, why do you think the stereotyping of people in need of public assistance as “lazy” persists? What kind of public assistance do wealthy people receive?
• Why do so many people blame parents for making “wrong” or “irresponsible” decisions rather than address how the dice are loaded against them? How does this impact the policies and programs enacted to support low-income families with children?

References

Welch, K., & Payne, A. A. (2010). Racial Threat and Punitive School Discipline. Social Problems, 57(1), 25–48.

Attributions

Eliason, S. (n.d.). Introduction to Childhood Studies. Pressbooks.

Berlinski, S., and Schady, N., ( 2015) The Early Years Child Well Being and the Role of Public Policy. Creative Commons