Affecting Change in Your Schools: How to be an Advocate for Education Technology
By Keith Krueger and Sheryl Abshire
Although students are just now heading back to the classroom, educators and administrators have spent the summer months struggling to equip classrooms with the technology and resources necessary to create a positive learning environment. And more than ever, teachers and administrators – our community education technology leaders – are feeling the crunch. Whereas in the past, they may have felt distanced or even ambivalent about federal education policy, today they find themselves treading water in a sea of federal standards, requirements, and proposed cuts to federal or state technology programs. As they fight to keep their heads above water, many begin to think about ways that they can effect real change in their school or district, but do not know where to begin. Questions arise such as: Who would I talk to? Am I allowed to lobby? And of course, What exactly is lobbying?The so-called “L” word is a sticky issue in most schools. Most educators have been taught that they may not directly lobby elected officials about school matters. Sometimes that is official policy; sometimes it is state law. As a result, many educators choose to rely on outside groups such as unions and non-profit education organizations to speak for them in Washington, DC. Even then, many non-profits are uneasy with the lobby limitations in the tax code and are often afraid to fully exercise their right to speak up.
But silence has a price. Congress has already eliminated funding for several of the smaller federal programs that support education technology, including the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology program, the Community Technology Centers, and the Star Schools program. Now, Congress is poised to slash funding from the already under funded federal technology block grant program – Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT). The program, which was authorized at $1 billion, has consistently received only $700 million for the past three years. Now, the House of Representatives has moved to cut an additional $91 million from the program in its appropriations bill. This cut, which was not included in President Bush’s Budget Request for FY 2005, would have a devastating effect on schools and districts around the country that depend on this program to support vital technology and professional development programs. In fact, many districts now depend on EETT as their sole source of education technology funding.Unless Ed Tech leaders speak up, these cuts could be passed into law.
But what does speaking up for education technology mean, and what are the limitations? First, a critical distinction must be made between “lobbying” and “advocacy.” Lobbying implies that the educator would directly ask a member of Congress to take a specific position on legislation or an appropriations matter. For instance, asking your representative to “oppose the House’s $91 million cut in their FY05 Labor HHS Education Appropriations bill” is plainly lobbying because you are telling your representative specifically how you want him or her to act.
What about non-profit groups? The commonly held belief is that organizations, including education technology grassroots groups, may not lobby due to their non-profit status. This is common misconception – non-profit groups can in fact lobby. Some restrictions do apply, however, and it is important to know the facts on how non-profits can lobby legally and effectively. The Alliance for Justice, a non-profit organization itself, has created a useful pamphlet that describes the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of non-profit lobbying. Although most organizations will find that they are able to lobby in some capacity, all organizations may use advocacy as an alternate route to achieving their policy goals.
Unlike lobbying, advocacy involves a more subtle approach. Educators who want to be advocates for education technology have a number of tools at their disposal that fall well within the allowed activities of schools, districts, and states receiving federal education funds. Ed Tech advocates can change policy direction by visiting their members of Congress, talking about how their school or district uses their funds, providing data from their district, and telling compelling stories about the program to lawmakers. When members of Congress – particularly those with appropriations responsibility – decide which programs to cut or expand, they rely in large part on their knowledge and experience with the program in their own state or district. An educator who becomes an advocate for education technology therefore plays a powerful role in putting the Ed Tech issue on the political agenda, increasing public awareness, and influencing existing policy.
Seasoned Ed Tech advocates are always looking for ways to influence the policy process. They establish relationships within the community, as well as on the state and federal level so that their voice is heard on all levels of the policy process. They make sure that the elected school leadership and the community understand the value of the education technology, and feel a personal investment to the related programs. They then showcase their school’s technology program and success stories to lawmakers so their school or district remains at the forefront of the policy process. These sort of activities will help to frame the issue for officials who want to know how federal dollars affect their schools. Instead of a $91 million across-the-board cut, lawmakers will start to think, for instance, of the cut in terms of the rural Illinois district that depends on EETT to conduct vital professional development programs.
Once you’ve developed a relationship with your elected officials, that relationship needs to be fed and watered. The best way to accomplish this is to become a trusted advisor and source of information for their key staff. Provide them with reports and research, particularly if it’s local in nature. Your job is to equip the staff with facts and arguments that support increased investment in education technology. In turn, it is their job to then inform and equip the elected official. Providing research and factual information and analysis is not lobbying – and if you do your job right, the staff will come back to you to seek advice and technical assistance.
One of the best ways to be an effective Ed Tech advocate is to develop an arsenal of powerful stories that provide real examples of how policy choices in Washington, or the state capital, impact teaching and learning on the local level. Facts and figures are fine, but stories simplify complex policy issues, put a human face on a debate, and make elected officials and the media care. When you tell a politician a story about how a teacher in the district used online tools provided through the EETT program to assess and target a low-performing student’s areas of weakness, and transformed that student into a high achiever, you have just cemented the link between federal dollars and constituent impact. If you invite your lawmakers to community events involving education technology, chances are the story will attract media attention, and that will help to inform the community about the value of education technology in your schools. If you build informed allies – parents, local businesses, civic groups, and local government leaders – and equip them with facts, you will be able to rally them later to speak up on behalf of programs such as EETT.
The current threat to Ed Tech funding in Washington makes it clear that education technology leaders need to be advocates for their programs all year long. Efforts are currently underway to preserve Ed Tech funding, including the grassroots advocacy effort called the Ed Tech Action Network (ETAN), a joint effort by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). The goal of ETAN is to provide Ed Tech leaders with the tools and training they need to be powerful advocates for the integration of technology in schools around the country. Overall, over 750 people have joined the network (www.edtechactionnetwork.org) to receive updates, contact Congress and learn how to build an advocacy resource in their state. While this is a great first step for Ed Tech leaders to get involved, it is not the only way to do so. Remember, it is essential that you speak up and let your elected officials know that education technology is a valuable resource your community cannot afford to lose. As educators from around the country have seen, if you speak, they will listen!
