Diary of Schaefer Intern, Richard Romer

June 5, 2003

Silver Spring

            So far my internship has been very rewarding and busy. It has been a hurricane of a first week at the Maryland State Department of Education. Every time I mention that I am working with Dr. Nancy Grasmick, (the Superintendent of the Maryland State School System) I get one of two responses: "This is going to be a good summer to be there," or "You are going to be busy."

            My first day began a tour of the main building in Baltimore. I had no idea that there is an entire floor dedicated to school lunches. Then, I had a meeting with Dr. Grasmick who assigned me a couple of books to read on recent educational issues, The Language Police and All Else Equal, and to write up a memo about the main ideas in each work.

            The rest of the week was a whirlwind of meetings on a wide array of topics: high school standard setting, a year-end review with Board of Education from every county in the state in Annapolis, two press appearances with Dr. Grasmick and the Mayor of Baltimore concerning "No Child Left Behind," the Maryland Business Roundtable on the 35th floor of the Legg Mason building where I met Chip Mason and the heads of the other Baltimore metro area business leaders, and finally to the Inner Harbor for the TV production of a video on great Marylanders where I got to meet Mr. Sonheim, a 94-year-old Maryland State Board member and former Baltimore City Council member when Brown v. Board was handed down. He is quite a remarkable man.

            Now I am working on policy dealing with Charter schools, a hot issue in the state right now. Next Tuesday I will be on Capitol Hill to help lobby for education funding and listen in on some committee sessions. I also will be traveling to Annapolis more often to better understand how the education agenda is shaped.

            Dr. Grasmick and her staff are super. They have been incredibly helpful in allowing me the opportunity to get a first-hand look at what the Superintendent of Schools and the department gets to do.

            I have also come to know Baltimore quite well. All in all an awesome time so far; I'm really enjoying it, except for the brutal 5 a.m. which comes oh so quickly each morning, but I usually make up for sleep on the train ride to work.  I'll keep you posted.
 

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June 27, 2003

Baltimore 

            So much has happened in the past four weeks. People weren't kidding when they said this would be a busy summer.

            One of the many things Congress has on their plate (or shall I call it a platter) are bills on Head Start and IDEA, for disabled persons in education. President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" mandates have tremendous policy, and most importantly - financial, obligations on states and local jurisdictions. I have been interested in the emergence of the charter schools policy since the new law was signed earlier this year, and have been working closely with the various work groups. In my tenure so far I have gone to numerous meetings and conferences and traveled all over the state:  Baltimore, Annapolis several times, Cumberland, and other places in the area of the office.

            A reporter from the Christian Science Monitor actually called to do an article on students doing summer internships and asked what my typical day is like. I just laughed at her and said, "There is no typical day."

            Probably my favorite trip was to the Board of Public Works. A meeting with Comptroller William Donald Schaefer is quality entertainment. It started off with Governor Ehrlich gifting the Comptroller, as well as Treasurer Nancy Kopp with a rockfish in a giant plastic baggie. Even if the Comptroller supports a project he will still get in his two cents, never hesitating to let his viewpoint be known. The person I came to the Board meeting with breathed a huge sigh of relief after Comptroller Schaefer passed over his project, I suppose thankfulness he was not part of the “entertainment.”

            Another favorite trip was to Annapolis where I sat in on the House Ways and Means Committee meeting and the Senate Education Committee meeting. I enjoyed talking to the representatives after the meeting and getting to know their backgrounds. Legislative Services sounds like a fun job, except during the three months the General Assembly in session. They say young people can handle it. Next week I am attending a conference about careers at Howard County Community College, which will help me keep my eyes open for future career possibilities.

            While many complain about not getting paid for summer internships, I haven't seen too many interesting opportunities that are paid. The connections I have made here are priceless. I have met important heads of the Education Department, have spent entire days traveling and talking with Dr. Grasmick, and have been exposed to many policymakers from around the State.

            I have also narrowed my internship project to be about the importance of leadership in well-run and successful schools. My St. Mary's Project has also come into view. I will be writing about the Baltimore City-State Partnership, an excellent life experiment in political science. It involves actions and implications in court, state agencies, the mayor, education and the governor, with tremendous insight into social effects and economics as well. I am pretty pumped up about it.             

That's all for now. Take care!