Week 7:
U.S. Conference of Mayors

July 8, 2014

Monday:

My time is quickly winding down here in DC; less than a month left! Today marked the beginning of a short week, but an important one, nonetheless! With my article and the conference out of the way, my full and complete attention is on income inequality. Today, and for the rest of the week, I’ll focus on my education section, and then move on to minimum wage, an introduction, and etc. A big part of writing this piece is framing, so what do we think the key findings are and how do we frame the paper so as to bring out those key findings in a way that is easy to follow.

A lot of what I do with Dave is figuring out what our talking points are, or the big picture, and really structuring from there. So, when I write the section in my paper about education, I don’t need to write a lot about the tests taken, or the measurement criteria (I’ll footnote that, of course), but what I need to be focusing on is whether or not the achievement gap between whites and minorities, rich and poor, etc, was lessened as a result of pre-k. Dave is very good about having a purpose behind a statement or an action, something that actually reminds me of Professor Givens in that everything you write should be exactly what you mean to say and you should have a reason for saying it. Nobody at this August task force meeting has time to wade through piles of information that is irrelevant.

Today we took a long lunch, and Kevin and Paul came down from upstairs to talk politics with us. Again, very informative and interesting. I am a conservative, and most people in the office are not so, which makes for some very interesting conversation and, quite honestly, a great learning environment for me. Not because it’s more friendly than a conservative one would be or anything like that, but because the views of the people I work with are so different than mine, and there’s really nothing better for someone than to be exposed to and immersed in ideas that are not their own.

Tuesday-Thursday:

More income inequality. I am writing about two particular  school systems that have data from their pre-k programs; Jacksonville/Duval County and Denver. I also throw in a Boston study. Basically, I am summarizing (briefly) the pre-k program and citing the results, so, from kindergarten readiness scores up to 3^rd grade test scores. This will be my first white paper, so I’m excited to have this opportunity; when Dave said I could write a white paper, I didn’t even know what that was, so this is some great work for me to do.

Highlights: On Tuesday, some of us from work went to the Nats-Rockies baseball game. The Nats won, but unfortunately, the US soccer team did not come up on the right side of the scoreboard. We watched the second half of the soccer game on the Jumbotron at the Nats’ stadium, so that was heartbreaking, but fun!

On Wednesday, Dave took us out to lunch for Paul’s birthday and for my LSAT results coming back in. We went to a semi-sketchy Chinese place, which was actually quite good!

On Thursday, James, Dave and I met with a lady who has a financial literacy product that she is offering to colleges, and would like to get into our summer jobs program. We watched her take us through the course (which I’ll be going through!) and, after our meeting with her, discussed the course and where we think it should go in connection with the Conference. It’s great to be a part of these strategy talks – not for my contribution, per se, but to hear what happens when an organization makes decisions, and how that process works.

I also went to the Archives today with Parker after getting off around two for the holiday weekend. It is absolutely breathtaking to stand inches from the document that embodies America’s inception and ideals! We also went to one of the art museums, and, after casually viewing some Degas, Van Gough, and Cassatt, we left feeling awfully cultured!

Friday:

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! I’ve been waiting a while for this holiday – what better place to spend in than in our nation’s capital?! I proudly put on my All-American Grandma t-shirt (it was a joke for an Olympic party I had a few years ago) and strode out to spend the day soaking in sunlight and freedom. Parker and I watched the Germany-France soccer game, went and saw the White House, checked out the American History museum (what is more American than viewing our original flag on July 4^th?), and then staked out our spot on the Mall for some fireworks.

We were between Lincoln and Washington, so very close to the fireworks, which were set off by the WWII Memorial. The weather was cool (many people have said that was the nicest 4^th they’ve had for 15 years, which I attribute to Parker and myself), and we waited until the sun went down. The mall was absolutely packed!

The fireworks were amazing. They were set to music, so when ‘Happy’ by Pharrell was playing, the fireworks had smiley faces in the middle of them, and the Can-Can music was matched by frantic swirling dazzles. It was a blast (no pun intended), and I kept reminding myself that I was actually in DC, on the National Mall, watching fireworks for the 4^th of July! What a blessing.

Saturday:

Parker and I found out very quickly that beaches in Maryland are not free. We were planning a short day trip to the beach on the Chesapeake Bay, but, as it turns out, all of those beaches are paid entry only. We settled on a pier and just chilled for a while; no sand, but the bay was beautiful, and I was more than satisfied with the pier!

Sunday:

I spent the day trying out a new church (NCC, National Community Church) and hanging out with a family that I had built a relationship with through a mutual friend. We went to the pool and enjoyed grilled chicken and vegetables for supper – the perfect way to bring a relaxing weekend to a close!