ad⋅vo⋅ca⋅cy [ad-vuh-kuh-see]
–noun, plural -cies.
the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal:
He was known for his advocacy of states' rights
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME advocacye < ML advocātia.
There are many misconceptions about what educational professionals can and cannot do to "advocate" for their position. Are we lobbying? Can we lobby? If we can, what can we do? What shouldn't we do?
This page is an attempt to clarify this issue and provide you with resources to help you become an advocate for the children of Arizona.
Why should I become an advocate?
Part of being a professional is to educate the public on what it is you do and why it is important. If you do not do this, then policymakers and the public make assumptions about what it is you do and how you do it and then make important decisions based on these misconceptions.
But why me?
As a professional educator, you are the best person to tell your story.
However, put another way,
If I am not for myself, who will be?
If I am only for myself, what am I?
And if not now, when?
Hillel the Elder
Advocacy Resources
ISTE Resources
Our parent organization, The International Society for Technology in Education, has a number of good resources for someone who is looking to become an advocate. Listed below are a few of these resources.
- ISTE's Advocacy page - The main resource page for ISTE's Advocacy efforts. The links below, plus other valuable information, can be found on this site.
- The ISTE Advocacy Toolkit - If you are looking for resources to help you jump start your advocacy efforts, then this page is for you. Filled with resources, templates, and an Advocacy Starter Kit, this is a good place to begin.
- ISTE's Policy Page - As an organization, Hilary Goldman, ISTE's Director of Government Affairs, tracks federal legislation that will impact you at the local level. Stay up to date on everything "happening in Congress" from this page on public policy that impacts educational technology.
- The Educational Technology Action Network (ETAN) - Would you like to be informed when Congress is considering educational technology legislation? Don't want to check a website to do this? Then ETAN is for you. Sign up for ETAN and you will receive email notifications of important issues being considered in Washington. When such an issue comes up, ETAN will help you find your elected representatives and provide you with a template letter that you can send as is or modify to express your personal opinion. What easier way could there be to have your voice heard?
- Arizona'a ETAN Page - Would you like to have your voice heard on legislative happenings in the state? Want to find out how to contact your local representatives? Then make that sure you visit Arizona's ETAN page for easy access to this and more information about legislative issues.
- ISTE's NCLB Reauthorization Advisory Group - This group meets monthly via teleconference and provides input into ISTE's Federal and State policy activities. Led by Hilary Goldmann, ISTE's Director of Government Affairs, there is an "inside the beltway" update and discussion of salient policy issues. The Advisory Group also provides advice and support of ETAN activities and ISTE's advocacy conferences. To join, contact Hilary at hgoldmann@iste.org.
Telling Your Story
- Media Outlets that serve Arizona - Ever tried to find a contact at a local newspaper, radio, or TV station to share your success stories? ETAN maintains a list of Media Outlets in Arizona. This list also contains National Media outlets in case you want to tell your story across the nation.
- Speaking of sharing your story across the nation, ASSET, a department of Eight/KAET public television, through its Innovate Classroom allows you to participate in Frontline's Digital Nation, life on the virtual frontier project. Learn how to capture your student's digital stories to share with others.