Strategies and Messages Framing Public Education

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Strategies and MessagesFraming Public Education

• Grantmakers for Education
• Jennifer Hahn
• June 3, 2005

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Opinion research from 2003

• Meta analysis of polling on public education
• Message development
• Testing in six focus groups
• Research Meg Bostrom of Public Knowledge
• Funded by Ford Foundation
• Meta analysis and focus group report available at
  www.douglasgould.com

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Our Charge

• Find ways to talk about NCLB
• Find messages that allow advocates to use NCLB as
  a lever to generate increased resources for
  schools
• Determine whether there are messages that could
  be used to mobilize people to oppose or seek the
  restructuring of NCLB to make it more constructive

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The climate during research

• Bush popularity high
• Budget cutting at the state and national levels
• Fights over priorities
• Education cutbacks
• Sense that public education is a disaster years
  of negative messaging have taken their toll
• Disagreement about NCLB among education
  reformersmixed messages

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Questions we asked

• How does the public think about public school
  education? What values are evident?
• Are there dominant frames that appear almost
  automatic?
• How do these dominant frames affect policy
  preferences?
• How can we reframe these issues to evoke a
  different way of thinking--one that reveals
  alternative policy choices?
• What values should be reinforced, what values
  avoided?

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What Is A Frame?

• The way a story is told its selective use of
  particular values, symbols, metaphors, and
  messengers which, in turn, triggers the shared
  and durable cultural models that people use to
  make sense of their world.
• FrameWorks Institute

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Communications is storytelling

• Rags to Riches
• Cinderella
• Horatio Alger
• The Little Engine that Could
• Tough Love
• The Ant and the Grasshopper

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An Over-Simplified Adage

• He who frames an issue, wins an issue
• death tax vs. estate tax
• child day care vs. early education
• tax relief vs. job killing taxes
• culture of life vs. what??

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Levels of Thinking

• Level One Big ideas, like justice, community,
  family, equality and opportunity
• Level Two Issue-types, like womens rights,
  education, childrens issues, work
• Level Three Specific issues, school finance,
  high stakes testing, daycare, minimum wage

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Open the Right Door

• Advocates too often operate at level threein the
  policy weeds
• But the public is usually up at level one
• Can we open the conversation at level one?
• What frame or door should we open to get the
  conversation started down a path that produces
  support for our policieseven in the face of
  opposition?
• Prime the conversation with the right level one
  idea.

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Frames arent consistent

• People hold seemingly contradictory views
• Different frames cue support for different
  policies
• How you frameor startthe conversation can
  determine its outcome
• Honey, Im bored. I want another baby.

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What did we learn?

• The hypothesis is wrong
• Nobody knows about NCLB, so it isnt a wedge
• But they love what it is trying to doespecially
  when framed in terms of market accountability
• They love Bush for trying to fix public education
  (this is changing)
• at least hes trying
• Years of attacks on public education have taken
  their toll
• You can frame the issue to winbut it will take
  discipline

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Most are very critical of schools.

• 81 most students achieve only a small part of
  their academic potential in school
• 63 public school system requires major change
• 38 have confidence in schools (-20 since 1973)
• Responses are driven by views of schools
  nationally, not locally
• 47 rate local schools A or B (16 since
  1983)
• 24 rate nations schools A or B

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Most are still committed to public schools.

• 69 would rather reform the existing system than
  find an alternative
• 69 would rather strengthen schools than provide
  vouchers for private schools

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But support may be eroding.

• How long do you keep throwing good money after
  bad? (CT woman)
• If on balance the public school system really
  sucks, no amount of money that you pour into it,
  unless the public decides that all of a sudden
  the tide has turned and these schools are really
  good schools, are you going to get a reversal.
  (MD man)

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State budgets should protect education.

• 58 believe their state is facing a very serious
  budget deficit
• 54 most want to protect education from cuts
• 58 say education is a top priority for state
  funds, 55 for federal funds
• 68 say education in their state has already been
  affected by budget cuts

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Most support increased funding, but believe money
isnt the problem.

• 59 are willing to increase taxes to improve
  education, 18 very willing
• Support increases with specifics more teachers
  for smaller classrooms, etc.
• 50 say school quality is related to spending,
  42 disagree
• 64 believe there are more important things than
  funding that need to be done

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Few know a lot about NCLB, but when they hear
about it, they like it.

• 76 say that have heard very little or nothing
  at all about NCLB
• Only 6 have heard a great deal
• 71 favor it, 44 strongly

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Evolving Awareness of NCLB

• One year later (2004), In Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup
  poll
• 68 of respondents still said they knew little or
  nothing about NCLB
• Even with increasing awareness, the public lacks
  the information it believes it would need to form
  an opinion about NCLB (69 in 2003, 55 in 2004)

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Whats Changed Since 2003?

• Growing debate among elites and increasing public
  awareness of NCLB through media and other
  channels
• With policy changes taking hold there is
  significant dissatisfaction, resistance and some
  outright rebellion
• States suing Federal Government over NCLB Utah,
  Connecticut, others?
• Increasing attention paid to high stakes testing
• New Sec. of Education in 2005 relaxed some
  aspects

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The Structure of Opinion
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There are four dominant mindsets about public
education.

• These are culturally shared mindsets
• Such mindsets do not usually change quickly
• Neglectful Parents
• Bad Society
• Market-Based Accountability
• Nurturant Community

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Neglectful parents

• Neglectful Parents
• Uninvolved parents are the problem facing
  education
• Two-career couples
• Low income people
• Until parents get involved, additional resources
  will not make a difference
• Drug and alcohol abuse in the home, poor
  discipline make learning impossible
• Fix the parents, fix education

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Bad Society

• Society is the problem
• Schools are the victim of social dysfunction
• Kids bring all these problems to school
• Until drugs, crime, and lack of respect are dealt
  with, education will suffer
• Urban schools are worse because urban problems
  are more severe
• Fix society, fix education

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Market-Based Accountability

• Education is like a product or service
• We pay and deserve value for our money
• We invest and deserve results
• Tests are needed to prove that the service is
  being delivered
• If the service is flawed, consumers can make
  another choice, i.e., public school choice
• Service provider should be forced to fix the
  product or be punished
• Additional resources are a non-issue educators
  should try harder
• To fix educationrun it like a business

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Nurturant Community

• Schools are a community responsibility
• School reform is a community responsibility all
  of us have a stake in the success of schools
• Relevant values are
• The opportunity to succeed
• Children as the communitys future
• Tests can help diagnose what needs to be fixed,
  to target resources, not to punish
• Target resources to fix the unique set of issues
  that a school or district faces
• Additional resources are assumed, and supported
  if tied to the solution
• School choice is not an option, because it does
  not address the community problem
• Best defense against market-accountability frame

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We all have a stake in quality education.

• These children will be running our country one
  day. They will be the CEOs, the presidents, the
  parents of children. (TN woman)
• It's the same way in the fire department. You
  invest in the fire department to protect you. In
  a sense, when we invest in our children's
  education, we protect democracy, theoretically.
  (MD man)

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Tests diagnose problems, they do not fix
problems.

• A diagnosis doesn't cure you. A diagnosis
  requires some treatment or something to be
  implemented and I think that would be the
  appropriate use of testing.
• (TN father)
• You can begin to theoretically diagnose what it
  is. You can come in and really focus laser like
  on what's the problem in the school. (MD man)

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Cutting funds makes no sense, but increased funds
need a reason

• To pull the funds, you are hurting them even
  more. (TN mother)
• In order to get the situation under hand they
  will have to invest more in these troubled areas,
  but I don't mean just throwing money at them.
• (CT man)

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Testing in the Nurturant Community

• I think we need to identify why the school is
  struggling and then that's a starting point.
  Unless we can identify that, then you know you
  are just wasting your time. (CT father)
• That's why we do tests and surveys to find out
  what is wrong so we can improve it, not so we can
  punish. (MD man)

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Testing in the Nurturant Community

• When their job is on the line, they're getting
  too into this test. You've got to pass this
  test. That's all they do, test, the test, the
  test, the test. They're not teaching them how to
  problem solve.
• (TN father)
• Inspiring imagination and critical thinking,
  it's very true and not doing the drill and kill
  test approach because like in Japan, they pound
  that stuff into them kidsI want them to have a
  creative mind also as well as the knowledge.
• (TN mother)

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• What We Need
• Us
• State and district
• School districts need or all children need
• Funding disparities
• Resources tied to specifics
• Opportunity
• Better future
• Solutions
• What is working critical thinking and
  imagination
• Diagnostic measures as help
• Teachers as messengers

• What to Avoid
• Them
• Individual school/student
• Minority or poor children need
• Racial disparities
• Funding as solution
• Accountability
• Parents/Society problem
• Problems w/o solutions
• Focusing solely on what is wrong
• Testing for Accountability/Punishment
• Politicians and political partisans as messengers

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Recommendations
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General Strategy

• Use the Nurturing Community frame
• Dont slam system it just digs us in deeper
• Talk in terms of solutionswe know what to do
• Amend NCLB, dont try to kill it
• This process is already under way (changes yes,
  but here to stay Wallace study of principals
  and superintendents)
• Dont use words NCLB
• Say national or federal governments education
  reforms
• Not Bushs they love Bush and that he is
  trying
• Keep focus off individuals and focus on community
  
• Shift from qualified teachers to quality
  teaching, for example
• Avoid things that cue accountability or bad
  parents
• Avoid asking for more funding unless you say
  precisely what it is for
• Dont over-promise what money can do

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What Makes a Good Message

• True
• Believable
• Emotionalconnected to peoples core values
• Supported by facts
• Spoken by the right person
• Has an action component
• Is about you
• Repeated
• Framed to win

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Define NCLB to Win

• A new Federal law that makes education a priority
  and says that all children should have an equal
  opportunity to learn.
• It requires all the states to set standards and
  monitor to make sure each student has an
  opportunity to succeed.
• Sadly, some of the laws provisions are aimed
  more at punishing individual schools and not
  helping solve a school districts problems.
• Some of its provisions, like the over-use of
  standardized testing will actually undermine
  gains that have been made in the last few years.

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Define NCLB to Win

• We know what to do. In many of our school
  districts kids are learning things at ages we
  never did. Education has been improving. And we
  can make even more of them successful with
  solutions tailored to an individual schools or
  districts circumstances such as new resources
  for leadership, quality teaching, up-to-date
  books and equipment and clean safe, un-crowded
  classrooms.
• The Federal government should work with
  communities to improve schools for everyone, not
  punishing the schools and students who are at
  greatest risk.
• Lets fix the federal law to ensure an
  opportunity for a quality education for all our
  children.

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Re-framing Language

• The real issue
• The bottom line
• What I care about most is
• What is most important to our community is.
• This isnt like running a corporation, it is
  about helping our children succeed
• Business models have their place, but not in our
  childrens classrooms
• Its not about money its about respect and the
  value we place on the role of our schools in the
  communities in which we live

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Top schools, top teaching

• All communities have a stake in making our
  schools as successful as they can be to ensure
  that every student has an opportunity to succeed.
  A new federal education law requires states to
  set standards for all school districts.
• It is a good start, but it could be a lot
  stronger if it put more emphasis on quality
  teaching.
• Everyone knows that inspiring teachers are the
  key to better schools and education for our
  children.
• But quality teachers arent born that way. They
  are highly educated, are required to continue
  their education, and need lots of training and
  mentoring by other successful teachers.

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Top schools, top teaching

• Well-prepared teachers can help students learn to
  love learning and can create opportunities for
  success.
• We should demonstrate the high priority we place
  on quality teaching by paying teachers adequately
  and by putting the resources and structures in
  place that help them do their jobs well.
• Our state/school district pays teachers far less
  than the best quality school districts, making it
  difficult to attract the best teachers to our
  state/district.
• We need more federal education money to recruit
  quality teachers to our state and train and
  retain quality teachers to make sure the lofty
  goals of this new legislation are achieved.

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Test to target

• Federal education policy seeks to improve public
  education nationwide. It emphasizes the use of
  standardized tests to measure the success of
  school districts. Tests have an important role
  to play but they must be used in the right way or
  they will only hurt the very people they are
  supposed to help.
• Tests should mainly be used to identify areas
  that need additional helpmore resources and
  leadership to improve their performance. They
  should not be used to punish school districts
  that are struggling.
• Too much emphasis on testing stifles creativity
  and forces teachers to teach to the test when
  their real job should be to inspire our students
  to love learning.
• Over-emphasizing standardized tests just promotes
  rote learningnot creativity or critical
  thinking.

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Test to target

• Drill and kill standardized tests dont measure
  what is really great about American educationthe
  way we excel at inspiring imagination and
  critical thinking.
• Students progress should be measured in a
  variety of ways -- their grades, attendance and
  how much they enjoy schoolnot just by
  standardized testing.
• Lets amend the federal law to allow standardized
  tests to be in their proper place and allow more
  flexibility in how school districts evaluate
  themselves.
• Lets make sure that tests are helping and not
  punishing our communities by amending the law.

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Face up and fix it

• Everyone wants our nations public education to
  improve. A newly-passed federal law has focused
  much needed attention on areas that need extra
  help. One provision of the law allows students
  to transfer to other schools, without fixing the
  basic problems in the struggling school.
• Simply transferring students out of a failing
  school doesnt improve the school, in fact it
  makes matters worse for those students and
  communities that are left behind.
• We have solutions for underperforming schools and
  we should give them the help they need.

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Face up and fix it

• States need to work with failing school districts
  to improve performance, not just move the problem
  around.
• Some communities need money to fix up crumbling
  buildings and buy needed learning equipment and
  books.
• We arent fixing anything by transferring
  students from one place to another. We need to
  improve the entire district or the community will
  suffer.
• Lets improve the federal law to make it work for
  all our students and the communities they live in.

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Close the gap

• Improving Americas schools is key to securing
  our childrens future. And a new Federal law
  seeks to do just that. It says that all children
  must be given a fair chance. States must set a
  standard for all districts, whether they are rich
  or poor, but the laws application of fairness
  doesnt go far enough.
• Americans believe in opportunity. But too many
  districts with a low tax base are shut out of
  opportunities because their schools dont have
  the resources they need to succeed.
• All students should have the same access to the
  opportunities that education provides students in
  well-funded districts.
• Schools in low income areas or with many
  struggling students may need more, not less,
  federal money because their problems are greater.

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Close the gap

• Every child should be allowed to do their best,
  but the achievement of too many districts is
  constrained by unequal resources. Students cant
  learn in unsafe, unhealthy facilities or when
  there arent enough books to go around.
• Our future depends on all students having the
  best chance at success in school.
• Lets close the gap. Tell our nations leaders to
  address the problems facing struggling school
  districts, because its in everyones interest to
  do so.

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Spokespeople

• Teachers (unless about salaries)
• Parents
• Business people who are local community
  residentsnot outsiders
• Advocates and experts

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Credits

• Explanations of Strategic Frame Analysis are used
  with permission from the FrameWorks Institute
• Explanation of levels of thinking are derived
  from the work of George Lakoff as interpreted by
  the FrameWorks Institute
• Research findings are from reports prepared by
  Meg Bostrom, Public Knowledge, for this project