Influencing Policy Makers
By Phillip Hamilton – Coordinator, Staff Development and Delegate of the 93rd District of Virginia
As instructional leaders, how can we influence policymakers to integrate sound learning theory and educational relevance into district-level, state-level, or national-level educational policies to better meet the needs of all students?
March 12th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
The first step to influencing policymakers is to make our opinions known. Most policy-makers who serve on education committees have never actually worked in education. Moreover, with the number of bills that the delegates as a whole vote on, it can be hard for them to do research to ascertain whether a policy will be effective or feasible. From my experience, policymakers like hearing from teachers and other educators, so rather than simply complaining because the representatives don’t understand where we are coming from, we need to take it upon ourselves to let them know– especially in a state like Virginia where we don’t have a union to speak for us as a whole.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I agree that we need to make our opinions known. Even though each school has different needs as well as proficiencies, the basic goal of all schools is inherently the same – to help develop students who have the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in a 21st century world. We know one way to get there is through technology equipment, but it also means that the teachers themselves have to be proficient in using the technology that is already in place. I believe that now, more than ever, we have to maintain high standards for teacehrs and administrators.
If we have all this, the key to influencing policy-makers can be through demonstration. Actions speak louder than words – so I think we need to invite the policy-makers to see what we are doing in the schools. It is up to su to demonstrate how we are using what we have to maximize student learning. This ultimately gives us more credibility when we ask for more materials or policies in our favor, but it also shows that we are using the tools we have.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Often in life, those who make the most noise get what they want. Sometimes these loud voices come from people genuinely impassioned by either a simple need or a complex platform. In terms of getting what they want, the need is often not as important as the vocalization of the need. As educators we must “make some noise” regarding the equipment, training, and classroom size that will optimize teaching and learning so that policy makers hear, listen, and act on our behalf. In these days of budget cuts, strong communication between educators and policy makers is more critical than ever. There are a number of ways we can “amplify” our voices. Writing to delegates and informing them of educational needs is effortless communication through e-mail. Getting positive media coverage for our students and programs is another way we can “be heard.” The impact of words and pictures in print is powerful. Recently, the Daily Press published articles on New Horizon students and the robot they built for a NASA-sponsored contest. Building a robot is an example of “creation,” the highest level of critical thinking on the new Bloom’s Taxonomy. The words and pictures in these articles reflect students engaged in cutting-edge technology . Stories like these speak to our policy makers, loudly broadcasting education’s link to technology and to the future.
Technology is no longer a buzzword; it is a password to today and tomorrow. We must let policy makers know what our students in k-12 need in the way of technology so that we can teach them to learn and function in an increasingly technology rich world. We need to make them aware through e-mails and print what equipment, training, and classroom environment we need to do our job.
March 13th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Thank you for your thoughtful responses.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:29 am
To help our policy makers become more aware of our day-to-day life in education and our students’ needs, I would recommend four actions. Create an advisory board in each district. The policy maker would meet with this group at least twice a year. This board would include mostly students, of all backgrounds, parents, teachers, and principals. A second recommendation would be having the policy makers shadowing teachers for at least 2 days, at various school levels. The third recommendation would be for them to work in a guidance office, a cafeteria, and to ride a bus. These venues would place the policy maker in his/her stakeholders’ environment and hopefully make them more aware of their needs. Another recommendation would provide a class for the policy makers on educational theory and child development.
March 13th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Educators need to positively articulate potential solutions to the policy makers.