DOCUMENT RESUME ED 441 323 EC 307 840 AUTHOR Bootel, Jaclyn A.; Warger, Cynthia L. Political Advocacy Handbook: Activating Grassroots TITLE Involvement. Council for Exceptional Children, Reston, VA. Dept. of INSTITUTION Public Policy. ISBN-0-86586-291-5 ISBN 1997-00-00 PUB DATE NOTE 198p. Council for Exceptional Children, CEC Publications, 1920 AVAILABLE FROM Association Dr., Dept. K0032, Reston, VA 20191-1589 (Stock No. R5193, CEC members, $60; non-members, $85.70). Tel: 888-232-7733 (Toll Free); Fax: 703-264-9494; Web site: http://www.cec.sped.org. Classroom Guides Teacher (052) PUB TYPE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Activism; Advocacy; *Change Agents; *Child Advocacy; DESCRIPTORS *Disabilities; Educational Legislation; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; Federal Legislation; Legislators; *Lobbying; Mass Media; Policy Formation; Political Issues; Public Officials; *Special Education; Training ABSTRACT This handbook is designed to assist special education advocates in developing the capacity to mount an effective advocacy campaign at the state and federal levels. It is divided into the following four separate training modules: "Introduction to Advocacy"; "Understanding (1) (2) the Governmental Process"; "Changing Public Policy"; and (4) "Building (3) Coalitions and Networks." Modules are organized as self-contained sets of training materials. Each module includes background information on the topic, suggested workshop or training session activities, and ideas for applications. The handbook describes the history and evolution of current concerns and explains successful advocacy efforts upon which to draw. It discusses the basic tools for advocacy, which include knowledge of the legislative or regulatory process, effective communication skills, and effective access to the media. It illuminates what motivates both elected and nonelected officials, what catches their attention, and what makes them respond. The handbook also offers advice on building coalitions, framing key issues and packaging important information, and understanding how to use the media as a tool to advance a cause. A glossary and several masters for overhead transparencies conclude the handbook. (Contains 11 references.) (CR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Political Advocacy Handbook Activating Grassroots Involvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY SocEer N. D. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization 'originating it bd Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official NIE position or policy. Developed by: Jaclyn A. Bootel and Cynthia L. Warger The Council for Exceptional Children BEST COPY AVAILABLE Department of Public Policy 2 ISBN 0-86586-291-5 Copyright © 1997 by The Council for Exceptional Children 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191 (703)620-3660 (703)620-4334 (FAX) (703)264-9446 (TDD) All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce and adapt only the appendices of this publication. No other parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopyingje- cording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Note: The references to either a male or female in this handbook are meant to include both sexes. Stock No. R5193 CEC Member Price: $60 Non-Member Price: $85.70 Printed in the United States of America 3 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Table of Introduction Activating Grassroots Involvement 1 Contents Purpose of the Handbook 2 The Council for Exceptional Children 3 Inside the Political Advocacy Handbook 3 Using the Handbook 4 Planning the Workshop 4 Moving Ahead 5 Bibliography 5 Introduction to Advocacy Background Information 11 Advocacy Training Workshop 16 Understanding the Governmental Process Background Information 37 Governmental Process Workshop 49 Changing Public Policy Background Information 79 Policy Change Workshop 96 Building Coalitions and Networks Background Information 163 Network and Coalition Building Workshop 170 Introduction Activating Grassroots Involvement Advocacy has long been a tradition in the special education profession. As special education professionals, we have all been advocates at some level. Words of support for improving educational results for children and youth with exceptionalities, whether stated in one's school or presented in a public arena, constitute advocacy. Over the years, we have a track record Political of making our words count. The process of securing rights that the average citizen takes for granted Advocacy for individuals with disabilities, has, in many cases, required long, hard fought battles at the federal, state, and local levels. Over the years, teach- Handbook ers, administrators, families, and others committed to ensuring that indi- viduals with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public edu- cation, have stood together, spoken out, and influenced policy makers to pass legislation that has resulted in improved educational results for all children and youth in our nation. The continued existence of federal pro- grams for children with gifts and talents can also be attributed to success- ful advocacy. While we have come a long way in advancing education for individuals with exceptionalities, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Indeed, as resources become tighter and as the voices of our political enemies grow louder, we will need to increase our vigilance. And, given the shift in po- litical climate that we witnessed in 1994, we should use our history of successful grassroots advocacy work to build an even stronger foundation. During the 1994 U.S. federal elections, the rules for advocacy changed. Along with the slogans to put the "power" for decision making back into the hands of the states, U.S. Congressional leaders and aides began sub- scribing to a new practice that was designed to limit the input from staff of national organizations. Simply put, the new Congress insisted that they no longer wanted to hear from lobbyists, but that they wanted to hear instead from their constituents themselves. Obviously, there are many far-reaching implications of this shift in how Congress is accessed and influenced. Perhaps the most important impli- cation lies at the personal level and can be summarized in one question if YOU were contacted to offer a legislator your expertise on a complex special education issue, instead of CEC Headquarters staff, would you be comfortable getting the information and making sure that the legislator used the information to advance education and services for children and youth with exceptionalities? CEC wants you to feel confident that you will be able to answer that question with a resounding "yes!" Moreover, CEC wants you to be able to Political Advocacy Handbook facilitator's guidethat is, it assumes that expand your role as a field leader in activat- ing grassroots involvement. Now, more than you will be willing to assist special educa- tors and other concerned individuals in ever before, it is critical that local networks become active and assertive in advocating learning enough about advocacy to be effec- for the educational rights of children and tive in influencing policy makers. Your goal youth with exceptionalities, as well as our is to prepare a cadre of grassroots activists own rights in the school and in the class- who are committed to actively advocating room. The profession and the children who for the improvement of special education. it serves need strong voices in every con- To assist you with these goals, the Depart- gressional and school districtvoices who ment of Public Policy at CEC has developed are organized and willing to become in- this Political Advocacy Handbook. We volved. Without concerted effort, the field have organized its contents to correspond of special education stands to lose future op- with what we know from our public policy portunities for growth and improvement; work about how advocates mobilize advo- but even more importantly, programs and ac- cacy change efforts: companying monies that we have won for our students in the past will be left vulner- Advocates frame the policy issue in a way able to the whims of naysayers and political that promotes their views and preferred enemies. solution. CEC believes that educators, related service Advocates understand how the policy pro- providers, and families are the best advo- cess works and use that knowledge in catesafter all, they have first-hand expe- shaping how they introduce and promote rience of what it takes to ensure high qual- their ideas. ity education for individuals with Advocates know how to develop and exceptionalities. Special educators and fami- choose particular strategies to build sup- lies, as well as those individuals committed port for their ideas. to improving education for children and youth with exceptionalities, know what is Advocates build networks and coalitions to draw support from influential stake- needed, as well as what will hinder progress. Elected officials need to hear these informed holders. voices whenever they set out to make policy. As a special education professional and/or It is our professional responsibility to make advocate, you already use elements of pro- sure that policymakers hear us. fessional lobbying in your every day life. For example, every time a teacher recommends a new strategy or approach for meeting the Purpose of the Handbook needs of an individual child in an individu- The Political Advocacy Handbook is de- alized education plan (IEP), that teacher is signed to assist special education advocates advocating for better student results. When- in developing the capacity within their lo- ever the family insists that the child needs cal divisions, chapters and federations to certain assistive technology devices to navi- mount an advocacy campaign. It assumes gate the school environment, that family is that within each locality, there are commit- advocating for better educational services. ted individualsincluding special educa- Or, when an administrator presents a pro- tors, families, and concerned otherswho posal to the central office that asks for re- can be called upon to communicate effec- lease time for teacher collaboration, that ad- tively with elected policymakers at national, ministrator is advocating for system changes state, and local levels. With ample knowl- that support teaching and learning. edge and skills, these advocates can signifi- The Political Advocacy Handbook takes cantly affect policy. you to the next step in building your advo- To this end, the handbook is organized as a cacy skills by providing you with the means 2 the underlying framework in serving indi- to share your knowledge and skills with oth- viduals with exceptionalities and continu- ers involved in policymaking work. It guides you in transferring your skills to othersin- ally renewing our profession." As such, CEC dividuals who you can call upon to partici- has a proud history as a force in the federal policy arena. CEC has also sought to em- pate in the policy making arena. power its members to be a force for meet- The Political Advocacy Handbook is de- ing the policy challenges in the communi- signed to help individuals train others to ties in which they live and work. become advocates at the state and federal The Political Advocacy Handbook is a levels. While the content of the handbook is focused primarily on mounting an advo- direct outgrowth of CEC's ongoing commit- ment to strengthen the abilities of CEC cacy campaign at these levels, most likely members in all aspects of government and you will find that it takes little to adapt the strategies to the local level. For example, public policy through information, training, and coordination of common agendas. Staff there are a number of "local" issues, which have their roots in state and federal poli- in the Department of Public Policy at CEC ciese.g., funding for special education, Headquarters are always available to assist discipline and expulsion, testing, or elimi- you in your advocacy efforts. nation of gifted education programs. Draw- ing attention to how the issues and strate- Inside the Political Advocacy gies manifest themselves at national, state, Handbook and local levels will help enable your par- ticipants to see how the basic advocacy skills The Political Advocacy Handbook will can be generalized across settings. help you channel your drive, strength, com- mitment, and knowledge of the special edu- The Council for Exceptional cation field into effective advocacy efforts. With the Political Advocacy Handbook Children your ability to expand the special education Committed to Advocacy and Public advocacy network will be enhanced. Policy No publication can serve as a cookbook for The Council for Exceptional Children public policy. However, we have tried to or- (CEC), the largest professional organization ganize the topics around those that are most representing those individuals dedicated to basic to political advocacy work. The Po- improving the educational outcomes for litical Advocacy Handbook is organized children and youth with disabilities and as four separate training modules. The top- those who are gifted, is committed to pro- ics for each module are: viding grassroots advocacy information di- Module 1: Introduction to Advocacy rectly to CEC members. CEC members are instrumental in shaping special education Module 2: Understanding the Govern- policy and have been for over 75 years. The mental Process CEC name carries a great deal of clout in Module 3: Strategies for Influencing state capitals and in Washington, DC, but its name alone cannot ensure passage of Policy Makers positive and progressive special education Module 4: Building Networks and Coali- policies. Our success has always and will con- tions tinue to rely on our highly committed and As you can tell by the topics, each module motivated members to press for meaning- builds on the knowledge covered in the pre- ful special education policies at the grass- vious module. roots level. Modules are organized as self-contained sets According to the CEC Strategic Plan, "pub- of training materials. Each module includes: lic policies at all levels of government are 3 Political Advocacy Handbook background information on the topic (in your locality. We recommend that you think of Module 1 as being a standard introduc- some cases, you will treat this as a review) tory session that can be included in local suggested workshop or training session chapter meetings, sessions at state confer- activities ences, regional meetings, and other gather- ings. The information and skill building ideas for application material found in the remaining modules appendices containing blackline masters requires additional time. For these, we rec- for making overheads and handouts ommend you organize weekly meetings, a There is no prescribed order for activities half day training workshop, a strand at a state conference, or other similar event. or time frame for conducting sessions. We have developed a suggested agenda in each How you deliver your training will depend module which you can use as a guide when on what opportunities you have in your lo- designing your own. To facilitate your use cality. As a point of reference, it is a good of materials, we have organized all suggested idea to contact the Federation or Subdivi- activities and content as follows: sion President and other CEC leaders (e.g., chapter presidents) to invite their ideas for Warm-Up Activities: These are designed to activate the participants' prior knowl- dissemination. edge about the topic, to orient them to Finally, we have included a glossary of terms the session, and to motivate their involve- in Table 1. These terms will be used through- ment. out the entire handbook. Content Presentation: Suggested topics and corresponding overheads are included. Planning the Workshop Application Activities: These activities Delivering a successful information and/or are designed to assist participants in ap- plying their knowledge and skills. Some workshop session requires careful planning. activities can be completed in an ex- Once you have a date, time and place to hold the session, your task is to assure that the tended or follow-up session; others will following things have been handled: require some field work. We have included a variety of activities, Publicity: People need to know about your knowing that individual facilitator prefer- session. Make sure that someone (or your- self) has sent out flyers, posted e-mail ences will vary. Feel free to use any of these activitiesor supplement them with your messages, and/or listed the session in an appropriate newsletter. own favorites. Room: Check out the room. How many Unless otherwise noted, the basic informa- people can comfortably fit into the room? tion in each module is designed to be deliv- How will seats be arranged? 'Will audio- ered in a one hour to one-and-one-half hour visual equipment be available? Do you session. Of course, given more time, partici- need to order audio-visual equipment or pants in your session will have a better op- portunity to build skills and apply knowl- bring your own? edge. Permission is granted to make copies Materials: Be sure that all materials are of handouts and overheads for workshop prepared for the session or workshop. usage. - Organize your overheads, training sup- plies, and any activity sheets. - Prepare a master packet of handouts for Using the Handbook participants. If you are using overheads, It participants usually find it helpful to is our goal that you will use the informa- tion contained in the Political Advocacy have copies of them. - Have a way to collect everyone's name, Handbook in sessions and/or workshops in 4 address, and phone numbers for later Handbook CO build the capacity within all concerned individuals to develop and sus- follow-up. Have blank name badges on tain a positive voice in public policy affairs. hand. - Encourage your local CEC chapter to have a display of membership informa- Bibliography tion on hand. Advocacy Institute (1990). The elements of a successful If you are planning to meet over a meal hour, public interest advocacy campaign. Washington, DC: let the participants know this in advance. Author. Will people be expected to "brown-bag" or Bootel, JA (1995). CEC Special education advocacy hand- book. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children. will you supply refreshments? If people are Congressional Quarterly (1988). How a bill becomes a law. expected to go out to lunch, let them know Washington, DC: Author. this also. Council for Exceptional Children (1994). Public relations survival guide. Reston, VA: Author. Hamilton, J. L and Safer, N. D. (1992). Single subject re- search and the policy process. In Advances in learning Moving Ahead and behavioral disabilities: Vol. 7 (pp. 291-309). Green- wich, CT JAI Press, Inc. We are at the crossroads of a wonderful op- Klein, T. and Danzig, F (1974, 1985). Publicity: How to make the media work for you. New York: Charles portunity to increase our strength and maxi- Scribner's. mize our effectiveness in advancing the edu- Langkau, T. J. (1988). Promoting voting: A citizen's guide cation of children and youth with disabili- to media. Washington, DC: American Citizenship Edu- ties. But it will take a lot of hard work and cation Project. Meredith, J. C. and Myer, L (1982). Lobbying on a shoe- commitment. string: How to win in Massachusetts...and other places, too. Boston: Massachusetts Poverty Law Center As a leader in special education, you know National Rehabilitation Association (1993). Handbook for that advocacy is important to our very ex- Rehabilitation Advocacy. Alexandria: Author. istence. Without advocacy and targeted Wittenberg, E. and Wittenberg, E. (1989). How to win in change efforts over the years, our children Washington: Very practical advice about lobbying, the grassroots, and the media. Cambridge, MA: Basil and teachers most likely would not be af- Blackwell, Inc. forded the same opportunities that they Wolpe, B. C. (1990). Lobbying Congress: How the system have today. Use the Political Advocacy works. Washington, DC: The Congressional Quarterly. Table 1. Glossary of Legislative Terms Act Technically, the designation of a bill after it has passed one house of Congress. Also used as a synonym for law. The term for legislation that has passed both houses of Congress and has been signed by the President or passed over his veto. Amendment Proposal of a Congressman to alter the language or stipulations in a bill or act. It is usually printed, debated, and voted upon in the same manner as a bill. Appropriations Bill Permits the expenditure of the monies approved by an authorization bill, but usually not to the total permissible under the authorizing legislation. An ap- propriations bill originates in the House and normally is not acted on until its authorization measure is enacted. Authorization Bill Legislation setting up or continuing programs; sets general aims and pur- poses and may set a ceiling for funding. Must be enacted before appropria- tions bill is passed. Occasionally, once prior authorization has run out, an ap- propriation may be made before a program is reauthorized. 5 Advocacy Handbook Table 1 (continued). Glossary of legislative Terms Bill Legislative proposal introduced in either house (until it has been passed by that house). Designated HR (House of Representatives) or S (Senate) ac- cording to the house in which it originates and by a number assigned in the order in which it is introduced. Budget Document sent to Congress by the President in January of each year estimat- ing revenues and expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year. Calendars Arrangements for scheduling legislative business. Clean Bill After a committee has considered and revised a bill, it may rewrite it incorpo- rating its amendments into a new or "clean bill." This bill is given a new number and is the committee's best judgment of superior sections in all ver- sions. Closed Rule (House) prohibits the offering of amendments, thus requiring that the bill be accepted or rejected as reported by committee. Cloture A process by which debate can be ended in the Senate. A motion for cloture requires 16 senators' signatures for introduction and support of two-thirds of those present and voting. Committee A subdivision of the House or Senate which prepares legislation for action by the parent chamber or makes investigations as directed by the parent cham- ber. There are several types of committees. Most standing committees are divided into subcommittees, which study legislation, hold hearings, and re- port their recommendations to the full committee. Only the full committee can report legislation for action by the House or Senate. Committee of the When the House sits as one committee to consider legislation reported by a Whole standing committee before it goes to the floor; the committee debates and amends legislation. Requires only 100 members for a quorum. Committee Report Written explanation and justification for recommendations submitted by com- mittee to full chamber after the committee has scrutinized and decided to favorably report a bill. Used by courts, executive departments, and the public as a source of information on the purpose and meaning of a law. Conference A committee made up of members from both houses; purpose is to iron out Committee differences between House and Senate versions of a bill. Congressional Daily record of the proceedings and debates of the Senate and House. Record 11 6