build power, change policy - leadership for educational equity · build power, change policy:...
TRANSCRIPT
Teach For America 25th Anniversary Summit February 5, 2016
Build Power, Change Policy: Making System Change Through Advocacy, Organizing &
Political Entrepreneurship
Turn to Your Neighbor
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What key issues does your venture plan to address in the fight for educational equity?
How did you see this issue affecting your students in the classroom...
...or the broader community?
Welcome Entrepreneurs!
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Facilitators
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Laurel Dumont Senior Director, New Ventures [email protected]
Stacey Jackson Director, Venture Growth [email protected]
Laurel’s Venture: The Center for Collaborative Change
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Agenda
• Introduction and Framework
• Stories from the Field
• LEE’s Venture Fund & Fellowship
• Q & A
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Checklist: Mission Statement
7 Source:
MISSION STATEMENT (Why You Exist)
NEEDS TO…
…be clear and simple
…avoid elaborate language and buzz words
…easily explained by others
…not be confused with a vision statement
…be recognizably yours
LEADERSHIP FOR
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
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Leadership for Educational Equity is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
striving to inspire and equip a diverse group of current
and former teachers to engage civically
and politically on behalf of
students and communities.
Policy & System
Changes
LEE’s Theory of Change
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Improve Educational
Equity
Become Decision-Makers
Elected Leadership
Policy Leadership
Influence Decision-Makers
Advocacy
Organizing
Political Action
Policy Research & Analysis
Community Engagement
Public Service
Civic Entrepreneurship
School Leadership,
Teaching
Mentoring, After School Programs, Academic
Enrichment
Anti-Poverty, Wrap-Around
Services, Community
Development
Direct & Community Service
Ed Tech & Innovation
Policy
Electoral Politics
Organizing
Advocacy
LEE Supports Civic Entrepreneurship (Not Direct Service)
Civic Change is activity that has the purpose of changing official systems or policies. Policy
Development
Electoral Politics
Organizing
Advocacy
● A plan, course of action, or set of regulations adopted by government, business or an institution, designed to influence and determine decisions or procedures.
● A set of targeted actions designed to influence government officials when they make laws and regulations, distribute resources, and make other decisions that affect people’s lives.
● The process of bringing people affected by an issue
together to use their collective power to pressure a decisionmaker to make changes that address the organized group’s needs and demands.
● Directly influencing who gets elected and the policies
they support by running for office, funding or working on campaigns or working for elected officials.
Community Engagement
What else? Innovate!
Civic Journalism
Mobilization
● The process of seeking input from members of the community on a decision that may impact them by leaders with formal decision-making authority.
● Turning out large numbers of people for a short amount of time in a show of power -- to show support or make demand for immediate action.
● Reporting on issues so as to increase public awareness, change public opinion, and/or change policies and practices.
● The name of the game is changing policies and systems that end educational inequity. How else can we get there? What new methods can we try?
Other civic change methods include...
Checklist: Mission Statement
13 Source:
MISSION STATEMENT (Why You Exist)
NEEDS TO…
…be clear and simple
…avoid elaborate language and buzz words
…easily explained by others
…not be confused with a vision statement
…be recognizably yours
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
Jessica Stewart Co-Founder & Senior Managing Director GO California
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Advocacy: GO Public Schools
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Advocacy: GO Public Schools
Oakland teachers
are among the
lowest paid in the
country.
Contract
negotiations have
begun and are likely
to get ugly.
Teacher placement
driven singularly by
seniority.
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Inputs:
• Information is lacking.
• 3-part organizational perspective:
Teachers need a large raise.
Schools need hiring flexibility.
Contract should be settled ASAP.
Activities:
• Great information
• Research
• Opinion pieces
• Mobilize teachers
Future:
• Teacher retention
• Improved district/union relationship
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
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Perspective on why
this matters and what we believe a
great contract would include.
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
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Deep analysis of salary and benefits
information compared to other districts across the state and country
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
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Sharing perspective repeatedly and in a
variety of formats - op-eds, videos of school board member talks,
social media, emails to our network
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
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Relationships with district and union
officials to check facts, vet messaging, etc.
Information shared in easy-to- understand
infographics
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Contract passed with nearly 70% of teachers voting yes
○ Teachers received a 13%+ raise ○ Significant changes to teacher hiring contract
language ○ Contract ratified in early June before school year
ended
Advocacy: GO Public Schools
Electoral Politics: Austin Kids First
Amber Welsh Co-Founder & Director Austin Kids First
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Inequity
Electoral politics → influence school board elections
Electoral Politics: Austin Kids First
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Inputs: • Volunteer
Leadership • Community
Engagement • Money
Activities:
• Build a base of informed citizen-advocates
• Recruit school board candidates
• Endorse best candidates
• Provide resources to endorsed candidates
Future:
Great school board leaders ensuring all our schools are successful
Electoral Politics: Austin Kids First
Electoral Politics: Austin Kids First
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Successes to date ● 5 out of 9 current board members are AKF endorsed ● 2 of the 3 board officers are AKF endorsed ● Raised over 250k to support candidates in the past 3 years ● candidates considering running are proactively reaching out to
figure out how to get our endorsement
Looking forward: ● Sustainable organization with full time staff ● Addition of awareness and organizing activities ● Expand scope of the organization to operate year round
Electoral Politics: Austin Kids First
Organizing: Union Capital Boston
Eric Leslie Founder & Lead Organizer Union Capital Boston
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● Social capital (leveraging networks and
relationships to connect to opportunities) is in
decline, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
● Community organizing builds social capital, creating
power.
○ Power = the ability to act or influence others
○ Organized people = Power
● New methods of organizing need to be developed
for the new world we live in.
Organizing: Union Capital Boston
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Inputs:
• Members from Mission-Driven Partner Institutions
• Relational organizing
• Mobile app rewards program
Activities:
• Build teams of leaders at partner institutions
• Take action on partner goals as well as community issues
Future:
• Equity is achieved through members working towards their own objectives, institutions delivering on their missions, communities organizing for collective impact
Organizing: Union Capital Boston
Organizing: Union Capital Boston
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● Result of the work in 2015 ○ 400 Union Capitalists from 15
partner institutions + 50,000 hours of community investment = $40,000 Rewards earned
○ Diamond Leaders building teams and taking action on member-identified issues
● Looking forward - 3-5 year goal:
○ 5,000 members (5% of low-income population in Boston, 20% reach) organized in 5 Boston communities, impacting Education, Health, Finance/Housing & Community issues
Organizing: Union Capital Boston
Other 2015-16 Venture Fellows
Nicole Baker Fulgham The Expectations Project
Claire Blumenson The School Justice Project
Richard Pelayo GO West Contra Costa
Frank McMillan New Jersey Together
Veronica Palmer RISE Colorado
Milagros Barsallo RISE Colorado
Q&A
Checklist: Mission Statement
35 Source:
MISSION STATEMENT (Why You Exist)
NEEDS TO…
…be clear and simple
…avoid elaborate language and buzz words
…easily explained by others
…not be confused with a vision statement
…be recognizably yours
VENTURE FUND &
FELLOWSHIP
LEE’s Venture Fund & Fellowship
LEE’s Venture Fund and Fellowship - supports LEE members
who have launched a civic venture and provides strategic supports and investments to deepen or scale impact.
The Venture Fellowship - provides intensive supports for up to 12
LEE members including: 1-1 leadership development and coaching, 1-1 technical skills coaching, admittance to invitation-only leadership and technical skills trainings, consultations with LEE content experts, and peer learning opportunities.
The Venture Fund - provides critical stage funding of up to
$100,000 for 3-5 Venture Fellows to fast track their impact and bring us closer to achieving educational equity.
LEE’s Venture Accelerator
Venture Accelerator ● Later-stage (recently launched and more established) ventures
that are now exploring the possibility of adding a civic component to their venture.
● Ventures in the earlier stages (planning, pre-launch) of preparing
their venture for launch. They are still developing their theories of change or other strategic planning documents fully enough to benefit from participating in the Venture Fund & Fellowship.
Participants will engage in early-stage coaching and receive support from LEE’s New Ventures team. The cohort will become a pipeline of leaders ready to participate in the Venture Fund & Fellowship in subsequent years.
LEE’s Venture Fund & Fellowship
Who should apply? ● All LEE members who have founded or are aspiring to found a
civic venture rooted in policy, advocacy, organizing, political or community engagement for educational equity.
● To be considered for the fund, the member’s venture must be
501(c)(3) eligible. ● You may choose to apply for the fellowship only or for both the
fellowship and the fund. There are no restrictions on the legal structure of the venture if applying for the fellowship only, or aspiring to participate in the Venture Accelerator Track.
LEE’s Venture Fund & Fellowship - 2016 Application Cycle
Key Dates
● Now: Pre-Application - you can submit it now!
educationalequity.org/VFF
● Wednesday, June 15th: Application becomes available; members
can see application and begin assembling their applications
● Weekly, June - August: New Ventures team offers development
opportunities and supports to members throughout the application process, ranging from 1-1 coaching to webinars
● Monday, August 15th: Final applications due!
● Late September: Finalists announced; at this time, finalists will be
invited to engage in an interview process with LEE
● December: 2017 Venture Fellows and Fund recipients announced
Q&A
Thank You!
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