| Our focus: Quality education for all children |
6/7/04 6:06 AM |
Author:
Lisa O'Brien
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Note: Lisa asked me to post this for her. She has come down with a nasty bug and will be at the doctors this morning. She hopes to join the conversation later today, if she is able.
Laurie Maak
The way we frame this discussion is vital, especially when trying to influence policy. Our elected officials are quite sensitive to public opinion, and we know that our cause can be quickly squashed by a sense that a majority (or vocal minority) of legislators' constituencies oppose charter schools. We need to be vigilant about discussing charter schools as a movement to create great public schools that work for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status. That's the message. Our cause should not be framed by our opponents, nor should we continually act defensively. We have a very positive, very simple message that should be easy to engender legislative support for. It's easy to feel beleaguered and beaten down by the negative messages put out by opponents of real reform. On a very basic level, I hope we can rise above all that and get back to our core message and purpose: to help all of our nation's children access a quality education.
My colleague Gerry Vazquez speaks about the need to shift the message from a response to a negative ("These poor children are trapped in terrible schools") to a positive ("Charter schools are about creating schools that work for all children") -- and use that positive message to bring us to a point of popular culture approval, the mainstream. Policy makers and the media alike would be influenced positively by a sense that charter schools -- or the concept that underlies them -- have mass appeal.
Posted as a reply to:
Influencing Policy by Bob Montgomery 
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