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Summer is a great time for us to think about our local advocacy efforts, especially for educational programs or new technology. As a program administrator, I often used part of the time between summer school and the start of the new school year to refocus and refine my plan for staying connected to local and state politicians and funding sources. Generally, I boiled my thinking down into three key areas:
Be Active and Plan Your Actions
• Meet with your local congressional staff
• Organize a site visit
• Write a letter to the editor or a guest column centered on local education efforts
• Share your organization's newsletter with your Members of Congress
• Send a tweet to your local politicians
Deliver the Right, Key Messages
• Focus on how you are helping to put students back on track academically and socially
• Emphasize outcomes
• Explain how you leverage other funds
• Get parents and students (when appropriate) involved in messaging
Make Specific Requests
• Help protect critical programs that keep students in school, increase academic engagement and graduation rates
• Work with appropriators to, at a minimum, maintain funding
• Find a balanced alternative to budget cuts or sequestrations
• Protect education and workforce programs from funding cuts
Today's Challenge
Use the list above as a starting point to list out some key advocacy-building tactics that you will plan for and use starting in the new school year. Or, think about where you are with blended learning. How will you help your local congressperson to know about your success, your direction and your funding needs?