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Preparing for Community Schools Advocacy Day 2017
www.communityschools.org
Denzel CummingsCoalition for Community Schools
Melissa MitchellFederation for Community Schools
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CONTENT
•Advocacy Day Overview
•Pre-Advocacy Day Tasks
•Meetings Structure, Talking Points, Asks
•Contact Us
Awards and Advocacy Day Overview
June 5, 2017 2 PM – 4:30 PM: Awards Symposium
4:30-6:00 PM: Awards Reception
June 6, 2017 8:30AM – 10AM: Pre-Advocacy Day Panel at AFT
10:30AM-3PM: Hill Visits with Legislators
3:00PM-4:00PM: Debrief
4:00PM-5:00: After-School Alliance Event
ADVOCACY RESOURCES
• Advocacy Day Dropbox: We will be adding several resources to this Dropbox that you can
access at any time to prepare for Advocacy Day
• Access the Advocacy Day Dropbox here:
ADVOCACY TOOLKIT
• This advocacy toolkit will help you better prepare to advocate for community schools on Advocacy Day, whether you will be advocating for us in Washington, DC or in your communities or statehouses.
• This toolkit will help you answer and develop strategies for the following questions:• What do you want to happen as a result of meeting with this legislator? (What
is your “ask”?)
• Which issues do you most care about, and most heavily impact your mission and the population that you serve?
• Which issues are important to the legislator?
Pre-Advocacy Day Tasks
Goal:
Schedule meetings with your legislators & their legislative assistants
For DC Hill Visits:
Email Schedulers & education staff ASAP if you haven’t already
Schedule meetings for June 6 any time between 10:30 am-3 pm
Goal is to meet with legislator & staff, but expect to just meet with staff
Senate and House buildings are a 15 minute walk apart
Scheduler and education Staff Directory can be found in Advocacy Day Dropbox.
Pre-Advocacy Day Tasks
Do your Homework!
Research what issues are important to your Members of Congress.
It is important to understand what will resonate with them.
You can find these issues by going to your legislators’ websites (using www.senate.gov and www.house.gov) and looking for their “issues” tab at the top.
Your Role as a Constituent
• Remember, it’s your legislators’ jobs to hear from you as a constituent
• You have a unique perspective & stories to share with them
• Don’t be intimidated!
• Think of it as the beginning of a relationship, not a one-time encounter
Structure Your Meeting
Introductions
Explain Advocacy Day/Why You’re Here
Briefly: What is a Community School & key Community School strategies?
The “pitch”: Tell your Story! (using data and anecdotes)
The “ask”: Ask them to support funding that bolsters community schools (particularly 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Full-Service Community Schools) and to visit your school(s)
If they say yes, maybe, or no, what would you do?
Thank them for their time
Offer yourself as a resource & say you’ll keep in touch
Follow Up – Thank you Emails
Community School Talking Points
Results
Academic Achievement (Math and reading scores)
Improved Attendance and Graduation Rates
Increased Student, Family and Community Engagement
Cost Effectiveness
Leveraging private and public resources
Return on investment
Infrastructure and Systems Change
Scalable and Sustainable
Innovative Partnerships and Opportunities Emerge
TIPS
Your job is to inform your legislator of what you think is the right thing and why, so focus on the issue and stay positive.
Pay attention to their reactions as you share your community school stories/experiences. Adjust your follow up according to what resonated with them and what they were inclined towards.
If you don’t know the answer to a question they ask, tell them that you will find out the answer and get back to them
Tell them you will stay in touch through their education LA (Legislative Assistant), and that you are happy to serve as a resource whenever they could use you (to provide testimony, review a bill, etc.)
QUESTIONS TO ANTICIPATE
If you are already doing this work without direct federal support, why does the Federal Government have to get involved? In some cases, the work is also happening without state support. Why should the State Government get involved?
How does the FSCS funding fit in with other federal/state funding streams?
Tell me more about the results that you are getting?
How are you engaging families?
Is there scientifically-based research to support community schools?
How is the Community Schools strategy different from Promise Neighborhoods?
CCS Recommendations
Please share the following “asks” in your meetings. Note: A one-pager and talking points for these asks are found in the Dropbox and will be given to you on June 5.
Appropriations:
Protect key programs for youth, families and communities in the FY 2018 budget that are slated for elimination or at-risk of elimination in President Trump’s proposed budget
Every Student Succeeds Act:
Ensure ongoing, meaningful stakeholder engagement in implementation of ESSA at the state and local levels.
Affordable Care Act:
Protect Medicaid funding that is critical to provide school-based health services for students, particularly with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
MEDIAOn JUNE 5th and ONWARDS
Press Releases
Create Local Media List
Review previous stories about your work; What would you change? Craft your ideal story & be ready to share
Talk about your work and its connection to the National movement, including your role in Advocacy Day
Be active on Social Media – Twitter and Facebook
#CommunitySchools
@CommSchools
REMINDERS
Schedule meetings with your legislators/their staff ASAP!
Access Resources in Dropbox
Tweet on June 6!
@commschools #CommunitySchools
CONTACT INFORMATION
• Denzel Cummings, [email protected]
• Emerson Policy Fellow, Coalition for Community Schools
• Melissa Mitchell, [email protected]
• Executive Director, Federation for Community Schools
www.communityschools.org
