Caitlin Cavanagh (Lansing Board of Education At-large, Michigan, candidate 2022)
Caitlin Cavanagh (Democratic Party) ran for election to Lansing Board of Education At-large in Michigan.[1]
Elections
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Caitlin Cavanagh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cavanagh's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Hi, I'm Cait! I was appointed to the Lansing Board of Education in April 2022 to fill a vacancy, and I am running for election in November 2022 to maintain the seat.
I care deeply about Lansing, and I know that the key to a thriving city is a strong education system. I believe I have the right set of skills to meet the needs of the moment and to help Lansing students succeed.
Experience in Education: I am a tenured professor and Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. My PhD is in developmental psychology. I study how to make youth-serving systems (e.g., the juvenile justice system; the child welfare system; the education system) more effective, equitable, and supportive of youths' developmental needs. I am also a founding member of MSU’s Youth Equity Project.
Experience in Policy: I have experience working with government and policy at multiple levels. Through these experiences, I understand well how public policy can shape children’s lives. At the county level, I manage and analyze all juvenile justice data for the 30th Circuit Court-Family Division to adjust programming to respond to youths’ needs. At the state level, I consult for the Michigan Association for Family Court Administration to promote evidence-based, developmentally-sound practice in juvenile courts across Michigan. At the international level, I was a staffer in the European Union Parliament (equivalent to the US House of Representatives).
- As a Lansing resident, I believe that schools need to attend to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice above all else.
- As a researcher, I believe that the best solutions are evidence-based. Too often, decisions around health, safety, and learning are made in the absence of sound data and evidence.
- As a developmental psychologist, I believe that children are most likely to succeed when they are held to high, but achievable, standards.
I advocate for evidence-based policy that is responsive to students’ developmental needs. My top three priorities are:
1. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. The Lansing School District’s recent equity audit revealed the many ways Black, Brown, and multiracial students are systematically disenfranchised. The Lansing Board of Education’s new Equity Advisory Committee is a step toward addressing this issue. However, I particularly care about dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
2. Pivoting from the pandemic so that students, parents, teachers, and staff feel supported, valued, and safe. Thanks to ESSER funding and the newly-passed $129.7 million dollar bond, we have an opportunity to fund major improvements affecting staffing, infrastructure, health, and safety. Furthermore, the pandemic is an opportunity to re-evaluate students’ skills and needs, the structure of schools, and to redress inequities that became entrenched over the last several years. We need to be responsive to input from families about what new and continuing challenges they face in the current social and economic landscape.
3. Addressing youth violence. As Research Advisor to Ingham County’s juvenile court, I understand our community’s concerns about youth violence through the raw numbers. However, as a nationally-recognized expert in adolescent development and juvenile justice, I have the skills to advance policies that most effectively address this challenge.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2022.
