Standing Up for Adult Education: Strategies for Policy Advocacy Mountain Plains Adult Education - National Skills Coalition
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Standing Up for
Adult Education:
Strategies for Policy
Advocacy
Mountain Plains Adult Education
Association conference
April 12, 2017
Goals for today’s discussion Our hope is that you will gain: • An understanding of the current status of policies that can affect your learners’ and your organization’s success • Ideas for how you can engage in advocacy on behalf of adult education and adult learners • Access to policy advocacy tools and resources -- you’re not alone! www.nationalskillscoalition.org
The policy landscape www.nationalskillscoalition.org
The policy landscape: What's going on?
Federal policy:
• Budget
• WIOA
– Implementation continues
• Perkins Career & Tech Ed
Act reauthorization this
year?
• Higher Education Act
reauthorization?
• “Welfare reform” (TANF)
forthcoming?
www.nationalskillscoalition.org
The policy landscape: What's going on?
State policy:
• WIOA
– Local/regional WIOA
planning
– New competition for Title
II funds
• Governors’ budget
proposals
• State legislative leadership
Photo credit: Flickr user Jeremy Wilburn. Used by permission under a
Creative Commons license.
www.nationalskillscoalition.org
The big unknowns Photo credit: Jamen Percy, copyright 123rf.com www.nationalskillscoalition.org
What we don’t know • FY 2017 budget – another extension? • FY 2018 budget – proposals from the President • How will executive orders (EOs) affect adult learners? • Future status of DACA program www.nationalskillscoalition.org
What we do know
• Advocacy works!
Speaking up for adult
education reminds
policymakers that
their constituents care
about these issues
• Your voice can
amplify the voices of
your learners
– Gives the policies a
face.
www.nationalskillscoalition.org
A reminder: What is true for adult learners is equally true for adult educators. • Self-efficacy: A learner’s belief about his/her ability in a particular domain; the belief that one can be successful when a_empting a specific task. • A=ribution theory: We “a_ribute” success or failure to certain factors, and those factors may be internal or external, controllable or uncontrollable, and/or stable or unstable. Beliefs about internal and external factors can be either adaptive (positive) or maladaptive (negative). Source: Self-Efficacy and Adult Student Motivation (LINCS community posting by Gail Cope, 2016) www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Your options for advocacy www.nationalskillscoalition.org
So…how can I advocate? • No specific experience or education is required. • Different circumstances offer opportunity for light, medium, or heavy “lifts” for advocacy opportunities. • With any lift there is room for big wins. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Choose your level of advocacy • Light • Medium • Heavier www.nationalskillscoalition.org
A light lift: What does it look like? • Everyone can participate • Most likely is a short- term action – very easy to accomplish • Both large and small organizations can have an impact www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Light lift: Example #1
• Make sure your elected officials
are receiving your organization’s
e-newsle_er or other publications
– Include offices in home district
and state capital/DC
Resources: How to find your legislators’ contact info
h_p://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/action/take-action
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgLight lift: Example #2 • Write a le_er to the editor or op- ed about your own story – about your students – or about the challenges your students face • Use Adult Education Week or International Literacy Day as the “news hook” to encourage your local paper to publish the le_er Resources: The Op-Ed Project h_p://www.TheOpEdProject.org www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Light lift: Example #3 • Add an activity to your curriculum that allows students to practice telling the story of how adult education helps them Resource: The Change Agent (adult education publication accepting Photo credit: Casa de Maryland student submissions): h_p://changeagent.nelrc.org/ www.nationalskillscoalition.org
A medium lift: What does it look like? • Requires some ownership on your part • Opportunity to speak directly with elected officials • Your time to show off! www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Medium lift: Example #1
• Hosting a site visit: An
opportunity for your
Congressperson to visit
your classrooms, interact
with your learners, and see
your programs in action
– Helps to have
introduced yourself to
state legislator’s staff
first, but not required
– If there is a timely
“hook” make sure to let
them know
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgMedium lift: Example #2
• Constituent calls - A phone call with your Senator or
Congressperson in addition to other adult education
stakeholders – educators, employers, labor
representatives.
– Represent your learners and tell their stories to your elected
officials
– Draw connections to explain why the topic (policy proposal,
etc.) is relevant to your work in the elected official’s district
Resource: National Skills Coalition blog post on constituent calls
www.nationalskillscoalition.org/news/blog/nsc-partners-engaging-congress-hea-
and-perkins-reauthorization
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgMedium lift: Example #3
• Learners’ civic engagement
– Build comfort with public speaking by having learners practice
telling their stories to each other
– De-mystify policy by making a field trip to a City Council
meeting or similar opportunity
– Look for (or create!) real-life opportunities for learners to tell
their stories to policymakers
Resource: In-depth slides on adult learner civic engagement from Networks
for Integrating New Americans initiative:
h=p://nelrc.org/docs/Civic%20Engagement%20slides%20combined.pdf
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgKeys to a Successful Meeting
1. Research the 4. Have and make your ask
policymaker’s positions and
commi_ee assignments 5. Use a personal story/
district-specific information
2. Have a speaking agenda
– Include data to
3. Be pleasant, flexible, support your story
succinct, strategic
6. Offer yourself as a
resource
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgUpon reflection… • How can you connect your story with a state or federal policy discussion going on right now? • Who else needs to be part of the story? • Do they help elevate your voice and bring about change? www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Steal this resource: NSC’s new report & fact sheets. • Use charts and fact sheets from NSC’s new Foundational Skills report to make the case to policymakers • Fresh data on skill gaps & opportunities can help grab policymakers’ a=ention Next: A few examples... www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Help policymakers grasp the need for adult education. Source: NSC/AIR analysis of PIAAC data on service-sector workers with low literacy. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Show how skill gaps are affecting the current workforce. Source: NSC/AIR analysis of PIAAC data on service-sector workers with low literacy. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Demonstrate that the ripple effects go beyond individual workers. Source: NSC/AIR analysis of PIAAC data on service-sector workers with low literacy. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Make the case that these loyal workers are worthy of investment. Source: NSC/AIR analysis of PIAAC data on service-sector workers with low literacy. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Let’s talk policy advocacy www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Are you ready for a heavier lift? • Compilation of many advocacy steps over time • Multi-stakeholder and long- term policy campaigns • Can lead to statewide wins! www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Heavier lift: Example #1
• Join your state adult education &
workforce coalition
• What is a state coalition?
– Advocates for local, state and federal
investments that help adult learners,
workers and jobseekers, especially those
who are low-income or low-skilled, to
advance in the workforce
Resource: NSC’s In the States map
www.nationalskillscoalition.org/state-policy/states
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgHeavier lift: Example #1 (continued)
• Joining a coalition can give
you access to:
– Mailing list/invitations
to events
– Sharing of best practices
– Joint op-eds and
editorial board meetings
– Social media – photo,
video sharing; key
messages through posts/
tweets
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgHeavier lift: Example #2 • Work with state policymakers to advance a state skills equity policy that can support adult learners • NSC members helped identify 5 proven policies that can increase skills equity (see right) www.nationalskillscoalition.org/skillsequity www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Heavier lift: Example #2 continued • NSC’s 50-state scans show where your state stands on each policy • Our skills equity policy toolkits showcase states with strong policies & provide a legislative template for you to use www.nationalskillscoalition.org/skillsequity www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Tools you can use:
Advocacy resources
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgRegardless of the size of your lift… • Make strategic use of “leave-behinds” for contacts with legislators • Keep it short! 1-2 pages is best • Use NSC’s free materials Resources: www.nationalskillscoalition.org/ resources/publications www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Additional fact sheets
• NSC has 7 new federal
policy fact sheets for 2017
• Check out topics such as:
– Upskilling adult learners
– Funding adult education
and workforce programs
– Investing in TANF to
expand access to career
pathways
www.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/publications
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgSumming it all up: Key takeaways • This is not scary • There is a different levels of advocacy for every situation and comfort level • You are not alone – use National Skills Coalition as a resource or to just get connected. www.nationalskillscoalition.org
One last reminder… Photo credit: Sergey Nivens, copyright 123rf.com www.nationalskillscoalition.org
Your questions!
What would you like to know?
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgStay Connected
• Visit our website.
• Sign up for our member
email list.
• Follow us on:
www.nationalskillscoalition.orgContact Amanda Bergson-Shilcock Director of Upskilling Policy AmandaBS@nationalskillscoalition.org 215-285-2860 www.nationalskillscoalition.org
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