PALS SMORGASBORD OF
PROACTIVE ADVOCACY STRATEGIES
FOR PARENTS & PARENT GROUPS
PROMOTE an "array of educational services", not labels for individuals.
KEEP the focus on children and individual student needs.
BE AWARE of the words you use and be aware of the words others use. Discontinue using phrases that others may find confusing or emotionally charged.
SEND a positive message about the results of a well-supported gifted program:
"raises expectations for all learners"
"leads to world class standards"
"translates research on effective learning into practice"
"raises the ceiling for all students"
DEMONSTRATE interest and support for the entire education system.
CHECK OUT exemplary schools and school programs in and out of your school district. Invite teachers and administrators to go with you. Observing a program in practice can provide the needed spark for change at your school or in your district.
KNOW who the administrative decision-makers are in your school system. Much is decided by those in charge of different departments: Curriculum and Instructional Supervisors, Directors of Psychological Services, Finance Directors. Include them in your meetings and create an on-going dialogue with them.
HAVE on hand the names, addresses, and phone numbers of local and state school and elected officials. (Call your local League of Women Voters office and obtain their Voters Guide with all of the above local listings or look in your phone book. Contact a local legislator or the Clerk of the House - Room 423, The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 and the Secretary of the Senate - Room 404, The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 and request a copy of both the Senate and House Directories. Request a School Board Telephone Directory from your school district offices.
PRINT the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your school board members and local legislative delegation in a Fall issue of your parent group newsletter. Include the Legislators local and Tallahassee addresses and phone numbers.
OBSERVE at school board meetings and wear your organization's name tag or better yet, have all of the members of your group wear clothes of the same distinguishing color.
ATTEND school board "work sessions", if they are held in your district. This is often where the meat of their business occurs.
SPEAK and testify at board meetings when the opportunity or need arises. ONLY THE PRESIDENT OR DESIGNEE SHOULD SPEAK FOR THE ORGANIZATION. Individual parents may speak for themselves, but no organization's name tag, please.
VISIT legislators and school board members to meet them and to share information about your organization or your child. Tell them about specific students you know who have benefited from gifted programming. Take your gifted child along; they can usually articulate their needs quite well! Offer to be a local resource person for the legislators if they have questions about your area of knowledge. Let school board members know that you are willing to serve on district-wide committees.
NURTURE a positive relationship with your key school and legislative officials BEFORE there is a crisis. Get to know the legislator's staff members on a first name basis. They can be a tremendous help in your efforts.
LEARN your legislators' interests and committee assignments. MAKE a special effort to keep in contact with your local legislators who serve on the House Appropriations Committee, Senate Ways and Means Committee, and the Education Committees of both the House and Senate.
IDENTIFY parents of gifted students in your area who have a personal or professional relationship with your local legislators. Ask these parents to serve as your organization's contact with them.
INVITE school board members, school system administrators, and legislators to your meetings, to special school programs, and to observe an exemplary gifted classroom or activity. Make the invitation personal and if they don't come, keep inviting them until they do.
QUICKLY RESPOND to Calls for Action and Legislative Alerts. Write, fax, e-mail, or call legislators, the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, and your Congressional Delegation. Constituent letters and calls do make a difference! Make your point in the first paragraph, give your name, address and phone number. RESPECT their time and be brief. Rely on facts and explain the relevance of the issue. HINT - personal, handwritten notes often get more attention than a fax or e-mail; include a picture of your child.
DO your homework. Learn about the nature and needs of gifted and able learner students. Study the issues and outline needs clearly. Provide documentation of facts and results.
SHARE information on "best practices" and research regarding gifted and able learners with teachers, principals, district personnel, school board members, legislators, and the media.
ASK questions. Often just asking questions opens the door to change.
OFFER statements of concern and ideas for solutions. Offer your help in being part of the fact finding and solution finding process. Be seen as a reasonable negotiator.
MONITOR all legislation and policy development that affects gifted and able learner education in subtle ways: class size, teacher training and staff development, funding levels and formulas, changes to Honors and Advanced Placement, classes teacher certification, establishment of an International Baccalaureate Program, Charter Schools, homeschooling.
HOST a Legislative Lunch or Potluck Dinner. Thank them for their positive efforts, let them update you on significant educational legislation that passed or didn't pass during the session, inform them of your key issues. Invite school board members to attend.
ORGANIZE a trip to the state capital during the legislative session. Take your students and do an experiential approach to learning about how laws are made. Use this opportunity to visit your legislators and share information with them.
PRODUCE a list of candidate questionnaires for school board and legislative candidates.
THANK legislators and school board members for their positive efforts in behalf of high ability students. Send notes, thank publicly in newspapers and at meetings, create a plaque or certificate of appreciation and present at a school board meeting.
SHOWCASE student products of note at a local gifted student product fair at a centrally located school or regional mall. Invite parents, the school board, local legislators, community and business VIPs, and the press. Let the students be docents and demonstrate their products that have resulted from a differentiated curriculum.
ESTABLISH an annual or periodic award for a person (school administrator or board member, legislator, teacher, parent, business leader) who has gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote the nature and needs of gifted and able learner students.
ISSUE press releases to continually get gifted/able learner topics (and your organization's name) in the media. Discuss position papers or research issued by your organization or a national or state organizations. Announce meetings, awards, classes or events your group is sponsoring. Publicize a Christmas Wish List for exemplary educational programming.
DEVELOP and distribute a brochure about your organization. Include brief information on the nature and needs of high ability learners (book lists, myths about gifted/able...). Place the brochures at pre-schools, private & school psychologists' offices, children's museums, libraries, public and private schools.
INCLUDE school board members, legislators, and local VIPs in your newsletter mailing list.
BUILD alliances. Parents of students of all abilities and disabilities often feel the needs of their child are not being met by the school system. Find common ground. Work with these parents and parent groups in providing an "array of services" for ALL students. A group of ESE parents and parents of gifted and able learners is a very large and powerful voice!
VOLUNTEER to serve on school improvement/advisory councils. Make sure that the councils in your district have access to information on the nature and needs of gifted and able learners.
LOOK for other organizations, businesses, educational agencies in your area that may share your educational concerns: County Council of PTAs, the local teacher's union, private learning centers, Chamber of Commerce Education Committees, private psychologists, pediatricians. (Many of these organizations have formal positions in favor of gifted programs.)
ENCOURAGE your members to serve on community boards. This can be a wonderful opportunity to informally create a greater awareness of the special needs of the gifted and able learners.
ASK YOURSELF, "Whose problem is this?" Are you the problem, or is it the teacher, the child, or the system?
DON'T :
Quote your child's test and IQ scores.
Frequently criticize teachers, the principal and the school system.
Make the school personnel dread to see you coming.
Appear to know all of the answers.
Focus on your child alone.
Use confrontational stances and language or threaten to vote someone out of office. Criticism and personal attacks will not further your cause!
RESPOND to negative articles in the news media and write pro-gifted guest editorials.
LEARN what your rights are and learn about Due Process and Mediation.
STAY CONNECTED to the Internet for valuable resource information.
CONSIDER running for the school board or encourage pro-gifted individuals to seek those offices.
VISUALIZE the perfect nurturing school setting for your child.
BE persistent. Do not give up on creating your vision of exemplary programs and services for gifted and able learner students.
JOIN your state and local parent organizations and offer them your help.
© Pals1996
(Parent groups may copy this document and add your own information below, just please credit PALS.)
State: Local:
PALS/FLAG
5101 Lake in the Woods Blvd.
Lakeland, FL 33813
941-647-3003