Teacher Leaders as Policy Leaders: Moving from Ideas to Action

Teacher Leaders as Policy Leaders:Moving from Ideas to Action Eric Hirsch and Tammy King South Carolina Teacher Forum Winter Workshop Myrtle Beach, SC - February 5, 2004

Teacher Quality and the Policymaking Agenda • The graying teaching population coupled with class size reduction efforts and the baby boom echo in enrollment creates the potential to redesign state teaching corps as the nation hires 2 million teachers over the next decade • New research demonstrates the impact of teacher quality on student achievement. Policymakers are beginning to realize that the success of other education reform may hinge on the knowledge and skill of classroom teachers • Standards for students and schools through assessment and accreditation have made policymakers cognizant of standards for teachers and administrators as well • Numerous groups are catalyzing action and bringing issues of teacher quality to the forefront of education considerations

Then Why Isn’t More Happening? • Governance issues: • District autonomy versus equity of opportunity and resources: What should be determined locally versus by the state? • Micromanagement versus ensuring a minimum level of quality: Do you really want policymakers involved? • K-12/higher education divide: Different budgets, incentive structures, etc. • Data tracking issues: Having the data needed in the ways necessary to make informed decisions • Funding issues: Many states/districts unsure of how much is being spent, revenue sources, and the price of reforms

What Challenges Do You Face? • Need to advocate for resources in different ways…and don’t do it first! • Needing a policy strategy when specific, discrete policy solutions are being sought • Put in a box - Can policymakers move beyond their own schooling or teaching experiences to understand what needs to be done? • Difficult to define professional development, teacher preparation, etc. If we can barely do it, what can we expect of legislators and other state policymakers with differing backgrounds and virtually unlimited competing interests?

The Four Ps for an Advocacy Strategy • Plan • Prepare • Present • Persist

Plan • Define your objectives • Learn who the appropriate people/groups are to address your concerns • Know the schedule & structure of govt. bodies • Know the policy history issue • Know the audience

Learn the appropriate people/groups to address concerns • Issues regarding teacher licensure/certification, and testing are largely state matters • Salary supplements, school/teaching assignments, and individual student matters are usually local issues • There are always exceptions to rules, however, so do your homework and make sure you are advocating in the right arena

Know the schedule and structure of govt. bodies • For the school board: - When does it meet, what is on the agenda, what is the process for public comments? • For the state legislature: • When does the session start/end; what are the deadlines for bill introduction, hearings, crossovers? For example, this year the SC legislature started its session January 13 and will conclude June 3 (according to statute) • Can the public testify? Does the committee have to hear all bills? • Part-time or full-time legislators? Before and after sessions as well as interim committees provide greater opportunity for extended discussion

Know the policy history of your issue • It might be necessary to narrow objectives and prioritize one piece of the policy strategy during a session • Legislative histories are essential for prioritizing. Has the legislature “done” professional development and moved onto another area of teacher quality? • Know what proposals have been put forth over time and understand the points of contention for key policymakers. How far have previous initiatives gone in the process?

Know your audience • Talk to personal and committee staff. Meet and maintain relationships with key staff who cover education issues. • The SC legislature has over 400 staff members during the session and nearly 250 permanent staff members • Policymakers come to the table with different backgrounds and knowledge on the issue - be prepared to adapt. 5.4% of legislators are K-12 educators and 1.9% are college educators nationally (1995) • In SC, out of 17 members of the senate education committee, 4 have ties to education; out of 18 house members, 7 are connected to education • Understand the role of leadership in your state legislature and school board • Know your representatives on the school board and in the legislature … “Five letters make it an issue”

Prepare • Gather and interpret data • Develop your position and know your opponent’s • Create materials • Mobilize constituents • Develop coalitions • Practice

Present • Handouts - “make it an executive summary then shorten it” • Start with your conclusion • Interweave stories with your data to make it real • Tie it to student success whenever possible • Be flexible and responsive - understand time constraints and policymakers’ perspectives …anticipate questions on implications as well as how it impacts on competing issues • Be able to articulate the opposition’s position • Be careful not to come across as a “whiner”

Persist • It’s not over until it’s over • Be available for the entire process. In the legislature much of the work of the session gets done in the last few days - be prepared with quick, concise information that sympathetic legislators can use to sway their peers • Do not get discouraged – issues are often revisited. Think about building capacity over time and elevating the quality of debate

Random Thoughts on Policy Strategies • “If you can bring any new information you’re heads above everyone else.” - CA legislative staff…the data must be accessible and tailored toward specific policy solutions • It’s about students, not about teachers - tie into other education reform initiatives that rely on teacher skills to succeed (technology, class size reduction, standards and accountability, etc.) • Anecdotes and stories are as convincing as data. Use classroom teachers and try to get legislators and staff in schools demonstrating best practices

As a teacher leader interested in influencing the proposed policy, what do you do first? • Call the legislator and arrange a time to meet or tell him directly your views about the legislation • Do research on previous legislative initiatives and gather information from CERRA and the Department of Education about teacher supply and demand, etc. • Talk to teachers and other education leaders informally and enlist them in your cause • Make a formal presentation to the school board or write a letter to your paper to publicly raise awareness about the issue • Come up with an advocacy plan

What strategy do you think would be MOST EFFECTIVE in influencing the legislation? • Create a public awareness campaign targeting media and the community at large about the importance of quality teachers and the dangers of the legislation • Call your local representative and other legislators imploring them to reconsider this approach to teaching quality • Lobby the Governor and other key state level education leaders not to support the legislation • Work with your professional organization(s) to publicize the issue with teachers and take a formal position against the legislation • Hold a meeting, inviting stakeholders and policymakers where you and others enlisted in the cause present alternative recommendations to support high quality teaching

On a scale of 1 to 5 - with 1 being horribly depressed and 5 being unbridled enthusiasm - how confident do you feel that you, as a teacher leader, could make a difference relative to this and other teaching quality policies?

Please think and jot down some initial thoughts about the following. Take no more than 5-10 minutes. What do you do first?  What strategies do you think might be effective in influencing the legislation? Who else might be involved? What would you tell them and what would they do? What are some of the arguments you would make? What else do you need to know?Spend approximately 20 minutes as a group sharing your initial thoughts, brainstorming as a group with those at your table about answers to these questions, and building the skeleton of an advocacy strategy together

Which of the following strategies do you believe would be the MOST EFFECTIVE strategy to recruit high quality teachers to hard-to-staff schools? • Limiting class size in those schools • Market based incentives such as signing bonuses or additional compensation • Reduced teaching load/additional planning time • Additional supplies and support (paras, supplies, etc.) • Additional professional development with a focus on school improvement Source: Electronic polling data conducted at CEA delegate assembly on 4/3/03 with approximately 450 teachers

The Perceptions of SC Teachers on Working Conditions and Leadership Source for all data slides: Schools and Staffing Survey, NCES, data for 1999-2000

Which of the following do you think is the MOST IMPORTANT reason why teachers with fewer than five years experience left their position in your school? • Inadequately prepared to succeed in the classroom • Low salaries (relative to other districts or professions) • Poor leadership (principal, teacher, etc.) • Working conditions (facilities, materials, etc.) • Career plans (planned only to teach a short time) Source: Electronic polling data conducted at CEA delegate assembly on 4/3/03 - approximately

On a scale of 1 to 5 – with 1 being the least effective and 5 being the most effective – please provide your perception of the effectiveness of induction programs in your school in preparing and retaining high quality teachers? Source: Electronic polling data conducted at CEA delegate assembly on 4/3/03 - approximately 450 educators throughout Colorado

SC Teachers in Their First Year: Support & Duties(Teachers prepared after 1995-96)

High Quality Professional Development On a scale of 1 to 5 – with 1 being least effective and 5 being the most effective – please provide your perception of the effectiveness of professional development in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the teachers in the district in which you work or live

Professional Development: Ensuring All Teachers Can Help All Learners in South Carolina

Teacher Leaders as Policy Leaders: Moving from Ideas to Action