Advocacy Angle: Advocacy is So Much More
By Jennifer Ciok
In Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word advocacy is defined as “the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal.” But advocacy, and being an effective advocate, is so much more than that. It is building strong relationships, being able to tell a compelling story, and being able to understand and share the real and potential impacts of the decisions being made at local, state, and federal levels. Your efforts as an advocate can:
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Support student success by using specific stories and data from your district to champion policies to ensure every student has access to a quality education.
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Influence policy decisions by sharing local, specific insights with policymakers to help them understand the impact of their votes.
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Secure funding by sharing how decisions around resources and funding directly impact student success.
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Give legislators needed input to explain how policies they pass play out in the classrooms and directly impact students and educators.
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Protect local control by preventing one-size-fits-all mandates that may not work or be beneficial for your community.
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Build public trust and awareness through increased leadership and transparency about what the district is focusing on.
When I took my oath of office as a school board member in 2021, I believed our collective role as a board was to help set the district’s strategic vision, adopt policies to support that vision, and oversee a budget that would help students in the district to be successful. I quickly found out that it is those things, but also so much more. A vital aspect missing from that list of expectations was being an advocate for our students and for public education overall.
When a school board member takes the oath of office in Illinois, they pledge, among other things, to “serve as education’s key advocate on behalf of students and our community’s schools to advance the vision for the district.” But what does that look like in practice?
The key to advocacy efforts is that it is a long-term effort and, also, that there is no one right way to do it. Building an authentic relationship where you are seen as a trusted source can be done in a variety of ways, including:
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Going to a town hall that is hosted by your legislators to learn about what they have been working on and then asking questions about those projects and how they impact your district and community.
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It may be having an informal coffee to learn about your legislator’s key priorities and then sharing key information about what is happening in your district.
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Advocacy can include participating in an in-office meeting as part of a formal advocacy day to share the impact of a specific piece of legislation on your district in order to ask your local legislator to sign on as a co-sponsor for the bill, or to oppose it.
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It can be as simple as finding out that funding is available for capital projects and sending an email or text to remind your legislator of a key project or initiative that your district is working on.
Advocacy can also be inviting your elected officials to an event in your district to help them better understand the school community, learn about an important initiative, or see work in action that is a direct result of legislation that was passed. In November, I began my new role as the Director of Governmental Relations at IASB with an explicit focus on advocacy. After 25 years working in education in a variety of roles, from teacher to coach to school board member, I have seen the impact of advocacy at all levels. As a public school teacher, I worked with middle school students to take action on issues they cared deeply about and to help them see that their voices matter and that they could make an impact on their community at any age. I helped coach administrators, counselors, and teachers in advocating for their students and the resources needed to be successful. And I worked at the intersection of researchers and practitioners to translate research into practice to advocate for methods that truly impact student outcomes.
As a school board member, I connected with my elected officials at the village, state, and federal levels to share concerns and drive positive change. Through these experiences and interactions, I recognized the power and responsibility I had to inform, influence, and so much more: truly make an impact.
In my new position, my goal is to support school board members with tangible tools and training to feel confident in their role as advocates for public education. Through growing the Advocacy Ambassador Program, planning and supporting Advocacy Days in both Springfield and Washington, D.C., and revamping the IASB advocacy website, I look forward to engaging with many of you as you advocate for your district, public education, and, most importantly, your students.