Tools for Educators: ASCD Advocacy Kit

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Working with Policymakers*

General Tips

From your local school board to Congress, the goals of your advocacy efforts are likely to require action by a decision-making body. Working with elected officials involves persistence, strong listening skills, and a compelling message. The following are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Do your homework. To be an effective voice for students and education, you need to know where policymakers stand on specific bills, as well as education issues in general. Through your efforts, you'll identify key advocates, with a variety of viewpoints, who work in the public eye and behind the scenes.

To learn more about the policymakers and their positions,

  • keep track of what officials say in the media;
  • attend meetings and hearings (or obtain copies of transcripts or summaries if necessary);
  • directly request a policymaker's statement of position; and
  • learn the names and numbers of appropriate bills, their sponsors, and the rationale for support or opposition;
  • check the World Wide Web pages many legislators now maintain.

Utilize these Web pages to research legislators and bills:

R-e-s-p-e-c-t. Although you may vehemently disagree with a policymaker's stated position on an education issue, you can still communicate an understanding of other points of view. Respect is a fundamental ingredient of effective advocacy. To gain it, demonstrate it by taking the time to understand diverse opinions.

Think locally--before you act globally. As an advocate for children and education, you have the best leverage with your own legislator, then with legislators representing other districts in your state, and finally with those representing other states. Normally, if you want a bill sponsored or amendments made, you would go through your own legislator.

Understand the system. Savvy advocates understand the legislative system, are persuasive and personable, and know the details of and reasons for the policy proposals with which they are concerned. Knowing how legislators process information--and the constraints they face--will help you deliver information in an effective manner.

Begin the process early. Advocacy should start well before the bill you are concerned about appears in the legislature. A good time to start is between legislative sessions when members often visit their district. You can also present the issue to interim committees between sessions.

Get a sponsor. Find a sponsor, especially one from your district, and convince the sponsor to support your solution and your language (although the sponsor will almost certainly suggest changes to increase the chance of successfully passing the bill). If your legislator is not on the appropriate committee to initiate the desired bill, contact both your legislator and the head of the appropriate committee (but tell both that you are communicating with the other one).

Get your issue on the record. When your desired legislation is introduced, have the legislator you convinced to sponsor the law submit a statement for the record explaining why the law is necessary. Work with your sponsoring legislator and supply information on how your organization or network can be most effective.

Contact the whole committee. Set up a group of education advocates in which each member is a contact person for each member of the legislative committee that will act on your bill. Attend any hearing on your legislation, but you should have already made the necessary contacts. Have members of your group attend when the committee meets to decide if the bill will be considered by the full legislative body.

Negotiate. Negotiating means giving as well as receiving. As an education advocate, consider the concessions you are willing to make to take small steps toward your goal. The PTA suggests, "Ask for more than you think you will get and then compromise. Remember that lobbying means having influence over even seemingly small changes in decisions affecting your cause."

Don't forget legislative staff. Some legislative staff have power and can help you with their knowledge of the process, other legislators, and general strategy. Staffers also advise their legislators on education issues. Legislative staff can give you periodic updates on where committee members stand on your bill, advise on your own actions, and help you arrange meetings with legislators and committees. In turn, you can help them write their bills and offer support for their work.

Tools for Communicating with Policymakers

As an advocate, you can choose among several techniques for communicating with policymakers, including

  • meetings and hearings
  • letters
  • electronic mail
  • telephone calls
  • personal visits
  • position papers
  • policy briefs
  • testimony

Many of these techniques work well in combination. After a telephone call with an elected official, you should send a follow-up letter of thanks. And after a personal visit, you could send an e-mail message.

Meetings and Hearings: The Power of Presence

One tried-and-true way to make certain your voice is heard as an education advocate is to attend meetings and hearings, from school board subcommittees to national legislative sessions. At the local level, open meeting laws may be of particular concern for advocates. Sometimes, even school board members are uncertain how to interpret legal guidelines for announcing and conducting meetings. At other times, they have been known to use loopholes to circumvent the scrutiny of press and community members. A Maryland official has said, "The open meeting or sunshine law is my candidate for the most violated law outside of jaywalking." (See Beyond Open the Door by Berla and Hall for a complete discussion of public access to local school board meetings.)

As part of a network of advocates, you can make certain meetings are covered. Consider bringing copies of your position statement and other relevant materials (including your business card) to share with contacts you may make. At legislative hearings, you can designate a press table where you can place copies of press releases and your position statement.

Letters: The Write Stuff

Letters to elected officials about education issues are a key tool for advocates. The more positive and substantive your letter is, the more influence it is likely to have. Say what's on your mind and in your heart. Use your own words whenever possible, and don't think you have to write like a syndicated columnist to have influence.

Handwrite your letter if your handwriting is legible. You may use your school or professional stationery, if you have any. Mass computer-generated mail is getting so sophisticated that it often looks like it's done by an individual. Handwritten letters are now the only way that a legislative office knows that the letter really comes from an individual constituent. If you prefer to type a letter, make certain you sign it and then add a handwritten postscript (P.S.).

  • Be brief, clear, and specific. Keep your letter to one page, if possible.
  • State your opinion and your specific request within the first few sentences.
  • Demonstrate respect and courtesy, even if you are vehemently opposed to the policymaker's views.
  • Avoid educational jargon. It can make your message sound confusing, distanced, or elitist.
  • Include your address on the letter; the envelope can get lost.
  • Have someone else proofread the letter. (Although spelling and grammatical errors detract from any communication, such mistakes by educators draw particularly negative attention.)
  • Enclose an article or two that have bearing on the policy decision, or enclose a copy of the ASCD position statement on an issue.
  • If you have any personal association with policymakers, remind them. Nothing is more effective in getting a policymaker's attention
  • letting them know you've worked on her or his campaign.
  • Avoid sending letters by fax. Many legislative offices find a faxed letter intrusive and prefer letters that arrive by mail.

E-mail: The Electronic Option

When it comes to the electronic advocacy, e-mail has become a case of too much of a good thing. Legislators are overloaded with e-mail and a recent study found that they had neither the technology nor the staff to respond.

"Members of Congress are inundated with so many e-mail messages from constituents and special interest groups--80 million last year alone--that lawmakers routinely ignore most of them." (Reuters, 2001)

In addition, e-mail messages suffer the same diminished impact as form letters because the same letter can be distributed by thousands of people. (For that matter, because one person can send the same letter over e-mail thousands of times, legislative offices have begun to protect their computer systems from the potential onslaught by refusing certain types of e-mail.)

Still, if you wish to send e-mail, one way to improve its effectiveness is to include the name of the bill you are supporting or opposing in the subject line, i.e. "Subject: Support H.R. 1" or "Subject: Support No Child Left Behind." This increases the likelihood that your position will be acknowledged, even if the entirety of your message is not. Another effective technique is to include any personal reference, including informing the legislator if you reside in his/her district, in order to make your communication more compelling.

Telephone Calls: Convincing Conversation

Telephone calls are a mainstay of education advocacy efforts.

  • Preparation. The key to effective telephone calls is in the preparation. Before you lift the receiver, jot down a few talking points--and be prepared to leave a voice mail message if necessary.
  • Conversation. When you telephone a legislator's office, ask to speak with the legislative aide responsible for covering education issues. If the aide is not available, leave a clear message, including your name and address, with the person who answers the phone. You might begin by saying, "I'm Jane Educator calling from Anytown, and I'd like to leave a message for Congressperson Smith." State the issue you are calling about and what you want your representative to do. Be as brief as possible, recognizing that legislative offices are very busy.
  • Follow-up. Be sure to thank elected officials for telephone
  • A follow-up letter is a perfect opportunity to restate your position and include additional materials, such as a position statement or relevant articles.

Personal Visits: Influential Impressions

A personal visit can be an effective method of getting the attention of legislators and legislative staff. Remember to follow these basic rules:

  • Determine your purpose for the visit. Perhaps you just want to hand-deliver materials and introduce yourself informally. In this case, you may not need to make an appointment, but remember to dress and act professionally.
  • For a more formal visit, call ahead and request an appointment with the legislative or staff aide responsible for education issues.
  • Although the ostensible purpose of the meeting may be to focus on a particular education issue, remember the long-term connections you are making are equally important.
  • Carefully consider the materials you leave with the legislator or aide. Position statements, letters, research articles, and policy briefs may all be appropriate. Be sure to include a description of your advocacy network and contact information.
  • Always send a thank-you letter as a follow-up to a personal visit. Such practices will help you develop regular contact with the elected official.

If you are requesting advice on an issue, keep in mind that a goal of legislative staff is to make constituents happy (and keep your votes). You should assume their sincerity, but be skeptical about the level of enthusiasm and support they convey during the visit. Do not be surprised if they promise to attend a meeting or drum up support for you and then don't follow through. Instead of getting angry, learn to distinguish reliable contacts from unreliable ones, and genuine interest from empty, though well-intentioned, promises.

Position Papers: Taking a Stand

A position paper is a concise statement of your stand on an education issue. When you need to communicate your stance to decision makers, the media, or other community members, a position paper may be a helpful tool. You can also leave a position paper with a decision maker's staff as a record of a visit. And position papers reaffirm the substance and goals of your advocacy to people in your network. Three or four well-conceived and well-written papers might bring your group's name to mind when busy staffers are crafting future legislation.

Effective position papers

  • state your position up front,
  • clearly communicate what you want done,
  • provide the background and context of the education issue,
  • are no longer than two pages, and
  • identify your group and why the position is important to you.

The Issues Sets in this advocacy kit include copies of select ASCD positions. The booklet What We Believe includes the Association's official position on a host of education issues.

Policy Briefs: Examining Issues

Policy briefs analyze an education issue and furnish practical, action-oriented opportunities and alternatives for addressing the issue. Unlike position papers, policy briefs do not necessarily take a stance on an education issue. The process of writing a policy brief often leads a group to determine a position statement. The publication ASCD Infobrief, the Association's policy publication, may be ordered at 800-933-2723.

A policy brief includes several elements.

The Issue:

What is the issue? What actions are under consideration?

Current Status:

What is the legislative status of the issue? What is happening in schools?

Background:

What is the history of this issue? What has been successful in the past? What has failed?

Trends:

What external factors are likely to affect the situation? What interventions are possible?

Effect:

Who is likely to be affected by the potential action? What is the desired result?

Alternatives:

What alternatives are available? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Other:

What additional factors or special circumstances should be considered?

Effective Testimony: A Window of Opportunity

For education advocates, testimony before a committee, board of education, public hearing, or legislative commission is a powerful opportunity. It may take months or years of relationship-building for some advocates to be invited to testify, yet the time allocated for testimony is sometimes no more than five minutes.

Using that brief window of time to best advantage is critical. The ASCD publication Influencing the Education Agenda (Nicklas and Seltz 1994) suggests that advocates include the following points:

  • an introduction of the speaker, including the speaker's interest in the issue;
  • a brief definition of the issue or question under discussion;
  • a statement of position, including an explanation of the position;
  • a rationale and recognition of alternatives;
  • a request for support of the position; and
  • an offer of assistance and thanks.

Nicklas and Seltz give the following tips for good testimony:

  • Separate information from conclusions. Your data support your conclusion and make sense to you because you know where you are headed, but you will have to make that connection for your listeners.
  • Give signposts. As you move from your first to second to third points, tell your audience.
  • Use your voice and body to convey confidence. Practice in front of a mirror to find the stance that is most comfortable for you. Speak slowly.
  • Use plain language that can be understood by noneducators.
  • Bring multiple copies of your spoken testimony with you. You may be asked to give one copy to a staff member for a written record; you may also have the opportunity to give a copy to each member of the committee or board and to any media representatives present.
  • Attach your business card to the testimony, and make sure that the cover page of the testimony gives complete contact information.
  • Attach supporting graphs, charts, and other carefully selected material to the written testimony if it is directly supportive of the testimony delivered. Other information should be sent separately.

The questions you most dread being asked following testimony may be the first ones you field. Prepare answers for the most likely questions and rehearse them. Answering questions is an additional opportunity to weave in your key points. Nicklas and Seltz offer the following suggestions for answering questions after testimony:

  • Listen to the question. Answer what has been asked, then stop.
  • Think before responding. Organize the answer for clarity.
  • Always be honest. Credibility gives testimony its value.
  • If you do not know the answer, say so. But--offer to provide
  • information, and follow through.
  • Use silence to your advantage. You do not have to fill every second with your voice.
  • Be positive. Turn a negative question into a positive response.
  • Take advantage of questions. Offer relevant information,weaving in responses to those questions you hoped would be asked.

Lobbying Regulations

In their advocacy efforts, ASCD members should take the time to understand regulations on lobbying efforts. Members of an ASCD affiliate should also check the regulations in their state, provincial, and local jurisdictions.

The following guidelines summarize limits on an organization's ability to become involved in electoral activities in the United States. The IRS guidelines on these issues are vague. If you have questions regarding an individual's or a school's sponsorship of, or nonmonetary contribution to, an event or publication, it is advisable to have it reviewed by legal counsel.

1. Be aware that institutions and organizations that have been classified as educational or charitable organizations under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns, which includes engaging in partisan political activity. Therefore, when you are representing such an organization, you are prohibited from engaging in political activity. Individuals not representing an organization are not limited in their right to engage in political activity.

2. Individuals involved in the electoral process should be sure to make clear that they are acting as individuals.

3. Organizations, colleges, and schools should avoid supporting, favoring, or opposing an individual candidate or political party--that is partisan political activity.

4. Organizations, colleges, and schools should be aware that their statements and activities do not have to be directly expressed to be considered partisan. Implied support or favoring of a candidate or party is also considered partisan political activity.

5. Partisanship can be construed when an organization provides a benefit to a candidate or party. Giving one candidate an opportunity to speak, noting that one party is "pro-education," publicizing the fact one candidate "agrees" with the school's or organizations' vision on education are all benefits, and therefore are prohibited.

6. Educational institutions and organizations should sponsor forums, debates, and other activities designed to educate citizens regarding issues of concern during elections. Every invitation to candidates--for their views, for a debate--should be extended to all viable candidates.

7. If you organize events or publish materials, issues and questions should be phrased in a neutral way. They must cover--and allow all candidates to address--a broad range of issues.

8. Both at public meetings and in published materials, a disclaimer should be included, such as "_______ does not support or oppose any political candidate or party. These materials and activities are made available to the public, consistent with our responsibility to educate and inform the public."

9. If you plan to disseminate the responses of candidates to pledges or questions on specific issues, you should make sure the pledges or questions address a wide range of issues, and include the responses to all the issues in the information disseminated--not just education funding.

10. Organizations that are tax exempt under IRS 501(c)(3) are subject to legal and monetary limits on their lobbying activities. When planning new lobbying activities, including grassroots efforts and use of media, organizations should consult legal counsel to ensure that the limits are observed.

*This section is adapted from the PTA Advocacy Training Manual. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Arnold Fege of the National PTA.