November
Women in the News
A Champion Among Us
Congratulations to NFWL Connecticut State Director, Senator Toni Boucher, who was recently named 2015 Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance Children’s Champion!
Senator Boucher is a ranking member of the CT Senate Education Committee and has been named Children’s Champion twice before in 2012 and 2009.
“Young children and educational quality and access have always been top priorities in my public service work,” says Senator Boucher. “I commend the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance for its strong advocacy surrounding pre-school and early childhood education and promoting best practices in child development.”
Congrats again to NFWL’s very own “Children’s Champion”!
Click Here to read the full article
NFWL 2015 Woman of Excellence, Edmonds City Councilwoman Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, celebrated a special milestone this past month: five years of being cancer free.
Councilwoman Fraley-Monillas was diagnosed with lung cancer in July of 2010 and underwent chemotherapy treatment for five months, all while continuing to attend city council meetings.
“I felt like I owed it to the citizens who elected me,” she said. “They expected me to do my job.”
Since her recovery, the councilwoman’s desire to make a difference in the world has only grown stronger.
Councilwoman Fraley-Monillas is among many NFWL members to face, fight, and defeat cancer as an elected woman and on behalf of the entire organization, we congratulate her on her bravery.
Click Here to read the full article.
Have you made headlines recently? Each month, we dedicate our “Women in the News” section to recognizing the accomplishments of our members.
Send relevant articles to meghan@womenlegislators.org so we can feature you in our next newsletter.
Leadership Development
A Case for Gender Advisors in Politics
While we often think the scarcity of women in office is a barrier to having our voices heard in
politics, Jessica Grounds’ recent blog post for Presidential Gender Watch 2016 sheds light on the additional lack of women’s input as campaign advisors.
“The dearth of women advisors perpetuates the idea that elections are primarily masculines paces,” says Grounds, “and the absense of women’s perspectives yields strategies, tactics, and messages that miss the mark in reaching all votes–women and men.”
Jessica Grounds is the founder and principal strategist for Solid Grounds Strategy, and the co-founder and co-chair of Running Start.
Click Here to read the full article.
NFWL Programming
Here it is, just for you: The Grab ‘n Go Resource Center
The National Foundation for Women Legislators is dedicated to empowering elected women from across the country and arming them with the tools they need to succeed.
From statistics on women in politics, to children and family issues, to tools exclusively offered by NFWL, we can help you conveniently put together any type of presentation or program you need.
Bonus! You can even get presentations from previous conferences, including the 2015 Annual Conference, so you can take your favorite facts and figures wherever you go!
Click Here to explore the Grab ‘n Go Resource Center
What’s Happening?
NFWL and Office Depot Foundation Support Local Schools
NFWL is proud to partner with the Office Depot Foundation once again for their National Backpack Program!
Since the program’s inception in 2001, the Office Depot Foundation has donated 3.7 million backpacks to school children. In partnership with NFWL, this program offers women legislators the opportunity to receive an assortment of backpacks to distribute to students in their districts.
This fall, 25 elected women from 21 different states distributed over 6,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to underserved children in their area.
“Giving out the backpacks,” reflects NFWL Chair Senator Diane Allen, “gives these youngsters a few supplies they will need this year and hopefully provides a boost to their confidence as they begin to lay the foundation of an enriching education.”
A big thank you to the Office Depot Foundation and all of our wonderful women who participated in this worthwhile program!
Click Here to learn more about the National Backpack Program.
Partner Posts
Evidence-based Policymaking
Identifying What Works in States: Before they invest, prudent business owners carefully weigh the cost of a new opportunity against its likelihood of success. Return on investment is a concept we all understand. In state government, where the investments are taxpayer dollars, we should demand a similar mindset. Before spending to launch or expand a program or service, public officials want to know what programs and services they already fund and how effective they are at achieving the desired results.
Too often those seemingly straightforward tasks – listing your programs and evaluating their effectiveness – are complex in state government. Too few government officials and elected lawmakers have the information they need to make informed investment decisions. The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative can change that.
Program assessment is the foundation of the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative’s framework for evidence-based policymaking. It’s an expert-guided process that state governments can use to collect vital program information and identify which of their currently-funded programs are “best bets” for taxpayers. A thorough program assessment is also the first step in building an evidence-based, outcomes-driven culture in state government.
State leaders across the country are learning about Results First and how the approach can guide can guide budget and policy decisions. This issue brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts walks readers through the three steps of an assessment process. It also highlights governments that have used the program assessment process, including Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, and Iowa.
To learn more about the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, contact Catherine An, Officer, Communications at 202.552.2088
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