Transcript State Legislation: What to Do and What Not to Do

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?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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?
1. Limiting class size in those schools
2. Market based incentives such as signing bonuses or additional compensation
3. Reduced teaching load/additional planning time
4. Additional supplies and support (paras, supplies, etc.)
5. Additional professional development with a focus on school improvement
40
30
20
Colorado
Teachers
10
0
1 2 3 4 5
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
Statements of Agreements
for Teachers
SC
SE
US
My principal talks with me
frequently about my instructional
practices
55.8% 51.9%
45.6%
In this school, staff members are
recognized for a job well done
76.0% 72.1%
68.4%
I am satisfied with my salary
29.0% 27.6%
39.4%
I worry about job security
because of the performance of
my students on state/local tests
40.3% 39.8%
28.8%
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?
1. Inadequately prepared to succeed in the classroom
2. Low salaries (relative to other districts or professions)
3. Poor leadership (principal, teacher, etc.)
4. Working conditions (facilities, materials, etc.)
5. Career plans (planned only to teach a short time)
50
40
30
20
10
0
Teachers
1
2
3
4
5
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?
40
30
20
Teachers
10
0
1 2 3 4 5
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)
Teachers receiving the following
types of support in their first year
of teaching
SC
SE
US
Reduced teaching schedule
3.8%
7.3%
5.8%
Reduced number of preparations
9.2%
9.2%
7.4%
Common planning time
51.8% 48.3% 43.3%
Seminars/classes for beginning
teachers
79.4% 64.5% 63.0%
Extra classroom assistance
18.7% 26.2% 25.7%
Regular supportive communication
w/ your principal, other
administrators or dept. chair
77.5% 79.3% 75.6%
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
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
Professional Development: Ensuring All Teachers
Can Help All Learners in South Carolina
Percent of teachers who taught
IEP or LEP students and the
percent with training
SC
SE
US
(8 or more hours in the past 3 years)
Students w/ an Individual Educ Plan
(taught) 77.0% 80.1% 82.0%
(had training) 17.0% 30.1% 31.0%
Limited English Proficiency Students
(taught) 29.3% 28.7% 41.2%
(had training) 2.4% 6.2% 12.5%