Advocacy for Technology Coordinators

1. Advocacy forTechnology Coordinators Summer 2007 AETA Perdido Beach Resort Lisa A. Woodard and Bruce Ellard

2. You must have someone at the table or you’ll end up on the menu. --Texas Senator Letecia Van de Putte

3. What is Advocacy? • Influencing outcomes that directly affect people’s lives • Organized efforts and actions based on the reality of “what is” • Highlights political issues and influences public attitude to enact and implement policies of “what should be”

4. Elements of Effective Lobbying • Campaign based • A series of aggressive planned activities to maximize your chance of making a sale • Established on trust • Honesty • Accuracy • Credibility • Education centered • Educate lawmakers on how your idea is good for the law maker, the district, and the state • Constituent driven • You must have relationships with legislators and have relationships with others who have relationships with legislators

5. Lobbying Influences • Spontaneous constituent letters • Telephone calls from constituents • Articles in major newspapers • Editorials in major newspapers • Visits from constituents • Orchestrated mail • Visits from lobbyists

6. Reality check • Probability of success is 17% • Is my political strength adequate? • If no, drop it now. Otherwise you weaken your position and demoralize your members. • Do I stop now or continue forward? • Can I become politically stronger?

7. Improving Political Strength • Motivate members • Provide re-election support • Improve perceptions of your association • Form strategic alliances • Hire contract lobbyists • Redefine your issue • Identify with the public good • Swing at something you can hit

8. Believe What You’re Doing is Right • Success comes only with a strong belief in the inherent truth of your position. • Effective advocacy takes commitment and passion. • If you’re not feeling good about your issue, people/elected officials can tell. • Strike a balance • Believe in your position while knowing that others believe as strongly in theirs. • Be open-minded to the possibility of compromises that may not encompass everything you support, but that move you in the right direction.

9. Advocacy is not about making a point…it is about institutionalizing a point. So what is your point?

10. Identify the key contacts • Spend your time and energy with legislators who have power. • Funding Committees • Education Policy Committees • Identify new legislators who have an interest in your objectives.

11. Alabama House of Representatives Leadership Speaker Seth Hammett Speaker Pro Tem Demetrious Newton Majority LeaderKen Guin Minority Leader Mike Hubbard Education Appropriations Chair Richard Lindsey General Fund Appropriations Chair John Knight

12. Alabama Senate Leadership Lt. Governor Jim Folsom President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem

13. How to Talk to a Legislator • The shortest path to a lawmaker is through staff. • Know your audience. • Committee assignments, positions on issues, personal connection • Identify a leader • Main speaker and point person • Should be a constituent

14. Don’t overwhelm with materials • One sheet information flyers • Limit discussion to 2-3 topics • Know what you are talking about and be concise • Be honest and truthful • If you don’t know the answer, don’t make something up. • Don’t embellish data to support your point

15. Short term goal is your “ask” • Always have a specific request when you schedule a meeting • Long term goal • Develop a rapport with your legislator • Be a resource • Ask staff what you can do for them, to help your elected official meet his or her legislative objectives. • Follow-up with a thank you • Be timely • Let staff know your position before it goes to a vote

16. Build Relationships • Meet regularly with elected officials in the district • Include a teacher, parent, and/or student in the meeting • Provide “good news” stories and examples of things that can be fixed through legislation • Invite legislators to visit schools showcasing technology • And then pair that with a visit where there is a need for technology

17. Build a Network • Bring together different constituencies with a common goal (i.e., students, parents, board, etc.) • Build support and legitimacy for the issue. • Raise the profile of your issue or group. • Show a number of people with shared goals. • Bring people together to share the work. • Rally resources for supporting the cause.

18. Have the Proper Allies • It is futile to go it alone! • Allies and coalitions are essential to any successful advocacy effort. • Who are your allies?? • Different groups bring different skills to the table: • Mailing lists • PR connections • Connections with unlikely allies • Help comes to those who ask.

19. Communicate with Your Allies • Addresses, email, faxes, phone numbers, etc. • Newsletters • Fact sheets • Web site • Blogs, social networks, etc.

20. Set Clear Goals and Reasonable Expectations • Sensing the political climate: • Current: What is currently happening? • Newspapers, conversations with decision makers, legislators, and their staff • Develop key relationships • Anticipate: What issues do we anticipate coming within the next year? • Look for issues that have “buzz” • Initiate: What’s missing? • Something you feel strongly about that isn’t on the radar? • Prioritize your goals.

21. Develop a Plan and Take Action • Timeline is essential. • Must include timeframes with legislative significance, i.e., SDE must submit budget by November. • Plan should consider the target audience. • Elected officials, media professionals, and community leaders

22. Monitor Legislation • Provide legislative language • Solicit direct support • Sponsorship • Co-sponsorship • Encourage education community members to send letters of support for your position.

23. Meetings and Hearings • The Power of Presence • School board meetings • Face to face meetings with legislators • Attend committee meetings on Wednesdays during the session • Personal visits: • Determine your purpose • Request an appointment • Focus on a particular issue • But realize that you are beginning a long-term relationship • Position Papers are important • State your position • Clearly communicate what you want • Provide background and context • No more than 1 page • Identify your group and why this position is important • Effective Testimony • A Window of Opportunity

24. Have the Proper Tools • Well trained, well equipped army • Action alerts • Training materials • Discussion forums • Community leaders • How can you utilize their expertise and access to reach out to elected officials in a meaningful way?

25. Persistence • It takes three years, on average, for legislation to make it all the way through the legislative process. • It is easy when things are going well. • It is very difficult and challenging when things are going south fast.

26. Luck • In the advocacy game, luck often centers on an understanding of trends. • Is it “lucky” that some groups have success? • Or, did groups create their own luck by reframing their request as responses to situations? • Effective advocates always ask themselves “what steps can I take today to improve my luck?”

27. Cultivate the Powerful One Percent • Only a small percentage of your members will be truly, actively, and passionately engaged in your efforts. • Small but powerful. • Segment your members to identify interests and needs. • District Work • State House Work • Communications • Data Collection

28. How are online tools and techniques being used in advocacy campaigns?

29. Online Advocacy • Recruit and mobilize supporters • Use technology in conjunction with organizational campaigns to provide constituents with easy ways to get involved in supporting your goals. • Must be coordinated with existing offline advocacy campaigns. • Engagement techniques • Gathering petition signatures • Sending messages to legislators and other targets via email, fax and web form • Useful in engaging the unaffiliated, recruiting new supporters, and converting those supporters into active participants.

30. To recruit advocates and mobilize them easily and cost-effectively. • Grow a list of individuals who want to help. • Can an interested advocate subscribe to a mailing list to find out what he/she needs to do to advocate for technology in Alabama? • Do you have a mailing list of interested advocates other that yourselves? • “Viral advocacy” • Pro: Friends telling friends • Con: Harder to control the message

31. “I came, I saw, iPod.” “The coming of the iPod and its siblings and clones symbolizes our ability to place in each child’s hands the key to all existing knowledge— and to openings of worlds to come. Thus far, schools have merely scratched the surface of new communications capacity. We have used the technology as a prop for existing curricula and operations, when its power lies in creating new curricula and fundamentally different ways of organizing for teaching and learning.” Education Week COMMENTARY “Beyond No Child Left Behind: Bigger Issues in the Room We Can’t Ignore While Debating the Federal Law.” Thomas Sobol*, September 20, 2006 *Member of a loosely organized cadre of currently serving and recently retired school superintendents, called Public Schools for Tomorrow that has been discussing these issues throughout the past year. They believe that superintendents with a lifelong commitment to educating all children can bring a unique perspective to the dialogue.

32. AETA’s Advocacy Plan Advocacy Committee Policy position document Host advocacy sessions Take positions on state and federal legislation Leadership meets directly with state and federal policy makers Members communicate with state and federal policymakers Work with other organization with common goals Hire a lobbyist

33. AETA’s Advocacy – Past Success • Technology Coordinator Salary • Budget line item at $35,000 • Increase to $42,887 • Teacher Technology Funds • Increase to $350.00 per teacher

34. AETA’s Advocacy Goals • Technology Funding • School system technology maintenance network upgrades; and, technology replacement at $125 per student • Funding technology administration at $125,000 per system • Amendment to Bid Requirements • Increase bid threshold from $7,500 to $25,000 • $25,000 and up – formal bid • $15,000 - $24,999 – three written quotes • $5,000 – $14,999 – documented verbal quotes • Increase contract lengths from 3 years to 5 years

35. AETA’s Advocacy Goals • Technology Staffing – Add to the foundation program one technology teaching unit in all K-8 schools

36. AETA’s Advocacy - Federal Carry the message to Washington… • Support Technology Funding • Current EETT • NCLB reauthorization – ATTAIN • E-Rate • Leave under FCC • Permanent exemption from anti-deficiency act • Leave at the minimum 2.25 billion funding level • Other Legislation • Child Internet Safety • Educational Data Systems

37. AETA’s Advocacy – It’s up to You What you can do to advocate for technology funding • Keep informed on the issues • Find the legislators who represent you and build relationships • Sign up to be part of the AETA Advocacy Committee • Join ETAN – http://edtechactionnetwork.org

38. AETA’s Advocacy - Local • Your the advocate for technology at the local level… • Things to do • Advocate daily • Build relationships • Central Office – Superintendent, CFO… • School Administrators and Teachers • Local AEA associations • School Organizations • Community • Local Government • Business • Always have a story to tell

39. AETA’s Advocacy Our Representatives in Montgomery and Washington really do want to hear it from you • You’re the expert • You’re the one in the trenches

40. Advocacy 101 Questions?