Teachers as Advocates for Change: Lessons for Leaders

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Teachers as Advocates for Change Lessons for
Leaders

• Sarah Applegate, NBC Teacher-Librarian
• River Ridge High School, Lacey Washington
• Marianne Hunter, NBC Teacher-Librarian
• Timberline High School, Lacey Washington

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Goals

• Participants will learn how to
• Develop a Message
• Create an Action Plan
• Practice communicating the message to a variety
  of stakeholders
• Become advocates for school libraries at the
  building, district and state level!

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What Youll Leave With

• An Articulated Vision
• A Master Plan
• An Elevator Speech
• And maybe even an idea for a Bumper Sticker!

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IceBreaker

• Thats Me!

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Advocacy As Easy as A, B, C
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What are the ABCs?

• Articulate a Vision
• Be Strategic
• Communicate Continuously

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Articulate a Vision
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Threshold Messages What do people need to know,
believe, or care about in order to become engaged
with your organization or issue? What obstacles
do you have to overcome to get people over this
threshold?
Action Messages What is the purpose of your
message? What do you want the people who connect
to your organization to do? Do you want different
things from different audiences? Do you have
different goals for different campaigns?
Solution Messages And the World Will Be a Better
Place Because . . . What is the projected
outcome? Offer up suggestions of how, if people
do what you say, their lives (or the lives of
their students) will be better.
Reinforcement Messages How do you keep people
involved? How do those who are involved convey
your messages for your organization? What are
some statistics, anecdotes, clichés and sound
bites we can use to support and reinforce these
messages?
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Model

• Save
• Our
• Space Needle!

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Activity Develop a Message

• What is an issue related to your school or
  district or education in general that you really
  care about?
• Library staffing
• Resource funding
• Technology access
• Funding for a particular program
• Library access
• ???? (brainstorm any more hot topics?)

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Share

• One group want to share?
• Travel
• Look for Clarity

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Working with building administrators

• Karen Remy-Anderson, Principal
• River Ridge High School

How can teachers best advocate for programs with
their building principal?
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Working with building administrators

• What were Karens key points?
• What surprised you?
• What didnt?
• Questions raised?
• Any new information you can take with you?

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Be Strategic
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Be Strategic Question 1

• What does your school and/or district really care
  about?
• What are the key
• Concerns?
• Programs?
• Initiatives?

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Be Strategic Question 2

• Who are the movers and shakers in your school?
• Who is respected?
• Who gets things done?
• Title, Power , and Influence
• Who do you want to speak for and with you?

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Be Strategic Question 3

• How do things really get done in your building or
  district?
• Priority setting?
• Budget and Spending?
• Decision Making?

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Be Strategic

• Who else cares about this?
• Potential allies
• Who might be opposed to this?
• Potential obstacles
• Who are the deciders?
• Fill out the receptivity chart and share with
  your group.

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Receptivity Chart
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Strategic Plan

• Given who the movers and shakers are and how
  decisions really get made in your building . . .
• Create a strategic plan for how to share your
  vision with people at your school.

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Components of Strategic Plan

• Message
• Goal(s)
• Tasks (include possible audience)
• Timeline
• Persons responsible
• Measures of success and reflection

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Be Strategic Master Plan

Message
1 2 3 4 5
Tasks
Timeline
GOAL
Persons Responsible
1 3 2 4
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Communicate Continuously
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Revisit your message

• You have created a vision
• You have planned strategically
• NOW . . .
• You will need to communicate
• Who is your audience? Who will need to hear your
  message? Who will deliver it?

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Activity Elevator Speech

• You have time for 3-5 sentences before your
  administrator leaves the elevator.
• What can you say that will convey your message?
• Pair up, stand behind, tap on shoulder, talk into
  left ear and deliver speech
• Swap

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ABCs at the building level

• Create a vision and be clear and articulate about
  it
• Create a strategy for bringing others to your
  side
• Share your vision often! And, find others to
  talk for you!

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Break
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Working with district administrators and board
members

• Courtney Schrieve, Communications Director
• North Thurston Public Schools

How can teachers best work with district office
and school board members when advocating for
projects or programs?
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Working with district administrators and board
members

• What were Courtneys key points?
• What surprised you?
• What didnt
• Any new information you can take with you?

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Same message, New audience

• How would you change your message given this new
  audience?
• What new data, etc. would you need to add?

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What are you communicating?

• Taking into account what is really important in
  your district, what data and info would you
  gather and present?

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School Board Meetings

• How they work
• Building relationships
• Proactive presentations to build support

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Continue to think strategically

• Who needs to hear your message?
• What is the most important part of the message?
• When is the right time to tell them?

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Strategy

• Ask Questions 1,2,3 for district
• Do another receptivity chart

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Working with your Legislator

• Representative Sam Hunt, D, 22nd district

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Working with your Legislator

• What were Sams key points?
• What surprised you?
• What didnt?
• Questions raised?
• Any new information you can take with you?

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Lessons from the 3 Moms

• Authentic voice
• Clear message
• Appropriate Tone
• Thank you, thank you, thank you

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A short civics lesson

• www.wa.gov
• Contacting your legislator
• On Floor
• During session
• During interim
• Role of L.A.s
• Committees

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Who is who and who does what

• Legislature
• State Board of Education
• OSPI

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Same message, new audience

• Legislative Testimony Write a 2 minute version.
• Tell your story
• http//www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid2008
  021215TYPEVCFID4785266CFTOKEN70a9c7c48c8dcc3
  f-A1B39A46-3048-349E-4E24BD58B806BD08bhcp1
• How would your elevator speech change?

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Now what?

• Get involved (WLMA Advocacy Team?)
• Region Leadership
• Contact your Legislators
• Work with your Principal
• Talk to your School Board
• Spread your message!

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Wrap Up

• Can you create a slogan? Make it memorable?
• Distill your message into 1 phrase
• Create a bumper sticker

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Thanks

• Sarah Applegate, Teacher librarian,
• River Ridge High School, Lacey Washington
• sapplegate_at_nthurston.k12.wa.us
• Marianne Hunter, Teacher librarian,
• Timberline High School, Lacey Washington
• mhunter_at_nthurston.k12.wa.us