For or against Children? The Problematic History of Stand for Children

• Published in: Rethinking schools Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 20 - 25
• Main Authors: Libby, Ken, Sanchez, Adam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rethinking Schools, Ltd 2011
• Subjects: Activism; Arizona; Child Advocacy; Childrens Rights; Civil Rights; Colorado; District of Columbia; Illinois; Indiana; Institutional Characteristics; Institutional Mission; Intellectual History; Massachusetts; Oregon; Organizational Change; Organizational Effectiveness; Organizational Objectives; Organizational Theories; Political Attitudes; Politics of Education; Position Papers; Poverty; Race to the Top; Tennessee; Texas; Washington; Oregon; District of Columbia; Indiana; Colorado; Illinois; Massachusetts; Tennessee; Texas; Arizona; Washington
• ISSN: 0895-6855

Stand for Children was founded in the late 1990s as a way to advocate for the welfare of children. It grew out of a 1996 march by more than 250,000 people in Washington, D.C. The aim of the march was to highlight child poverty at a time when Congress and the Clinton administration were preparing to "end welfare as we know it." Jonah Edelman, son of children's and civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman, co-founded the group and continues to serve as CEO. Stand's first chapter was in Oregon, but the group now operates in eight additional states: (1) Arizona; (2) Colorado; (3) Illinois; (4) Indiana; (5) Massachusetts; (6) Tennessee; (7) Texas; and (8) Washington. Fifteen years later, Stand seems to have morphed into something quite different. For Oregonians, the first public indications that Stand had made a striking 180-degree turn in its politics was its support for Race to the Top legislation and its active promotion of the antiunion, anti-public school film "Waiting for "Superman"." In this article, the authors explore why Stand has made an alarming U-turn.