Our Strategy: Political Action and Public Accountability for Public Education
Education Voters of America is building a network of state political action coalitions to ensure that elected officials fulfill the promise of educational opportunity as the right of every child. We are the only national advocacy organization working to make education an electoral issue for voters and politicians.
Our political program is designed to win seats of power in state houses and legislatures that approve the budgets and standards for public education in their states. Simply put, we support elected officials and candidates who make education a priority and work to defeat those who don’t. Our advocacy program is designed to hold those who are elected accountable for their actions to improve the performance of their state public school systems.
We call it the cycle of accountability. Here’s how it works:
• Setting an Education Action Agenda: First we identify the most important policy outcomes in an election cycle – legislation or rulemaking that support the vision of excellent education – and publicize those policy priorities among politicians, the press, and public.
• Evaluating the Candidates: Using this state legislative action agenda, we evaluate candidates based on their voting records and their pledges.
• Endorsing, Supporting and Defeating Candidates: Then we help elect champions for public education and defeat those who stand in the way, using endorsements, direct contributions, and, in a few cases, independent expenditure campaigns.
• Taking Delivery on the Education Action Agenda: After the election, we focus the attention of our champions and other elected leaders on enacting our legislative priorities. We organize issue campaigns – including direct and grassroots lobbying, and if necessary, paid advocacy ads, supported by earned media – to keep up the pressure.
• Focusing the Public Light (and Heat) on the Actions of Politicians: We publicly praise public education champions and call out those politicians who stand in the way of progress.
• Raising the Bar for Leadership on Public Education: Using the power accrued through elections and issue advocacy, we identify the next set of actionable outcomes, set and publicize the next legislative agenda, and the cycle of accountability continues.
Our organizing model involves ongoing effort – building public demand, political will, electoral victories, and policy gains year-round, from cycle to cycle.
It works.
Piloted in New York State, Education Voters has demonstrated the impact of our strategy. We helped three New York state senators win difficult elections. These victories dramatically challenged an entrenched status quo in the State Senate which had resisted any meaningful action to address inequities in school funding for poor urban and rural schools. Long-standing lawsuits could not crack the system and lobbying efforts could not make headway with an unresponsive and unaccountable Senate majority.
The dynamic changed when Education Voters came on the scene; the electoral power shift propelled a policy shift in education: The full legislature approved an $11.2 billion bond for school improvements and a $2 billion increase in the NYC education system budget. Now Education Voters has been invited into several more states. So far this year, we have decided to launch new state affiliates in Ohio and Pennsylvania, with other states in the exploratory stage.
Our Strategy: Political Action and Public Accountability for Public Education
Education Voters of America is building a network of state political action coalitions to ensure that elected officials fulfill the promise of educational opportunity as the right of every child. We are the only national advocacy organization working to make education an electoral issue for voters and politicians.
Our political program is designed to win seats of power in state houses and legislatures that approve the budgets and standards for public education in their states. Simply put, we support elected officials and candidates who make education a priority and work to defeat those who don’t. Our advocacy program is designed to hold those who are elected accountable for their actions to improve the performance of their state public school systems.
We call it the cycle of accountability. Here’s how it works:
• Setting an Education Action Agenda: First we identify the most important policy outcomes in an election cycle – legislation or rulemaking that support the vision of excellent education – and publicize those policy priorities among politicians, the press, and public.
• Evaluating the Candidates: Using this state legislative action agenda, we evaluate candidates based on their voting records and their pledges.
• Endorsing, Supporting and Defeating Candidates: Then we help elect champions for public education and defeat those who stand in the way, using endorsements, direct contributions, and, in a few cases, independent expenditure campaigns.
• Taking Delivery on the Education Action Agenda: After the election, we focus the attention of our champions and other elected leaders on enacting our legislative priorities. We organize issue campaigns – including direct and grassroots lobbying, and if necessary, paid advocacy ads, supported by earned media – to keep up the pressure.
• Focusing the Public Light (and Heat) on the Actions of Politicians: We publicly praise public education champions and call out those politicians who stand in the way of progress.
• Raising the Bar for Leadership on Public Education: Using the power accrued through elections and issue advocacy, we identify the next set of actionable outcomes, set and publicize the next legislative agenda, and the cycle of accountability continues.
Our organizing model involves ongoing effort – building public demand, political will, electoral victories, and policy gains year-round, from cycle to cycle.
It works.
Piloted in New York State, Education Voters has demonstrated the impact of our strategy. We helped three New York state senators win difficult elections. These victories dramatically challenged an entrenched status quo in the State Senate which had resisted any meaningful action to address inequities in school funding for poor urban and rural schools. Long-standing lawsuits could not crack the system and lobbying efforts could not make headway with an unresponsive and unaccountable Senate majority.
The dynamic changed when Education Voters came on the scene; the electoral power shift propelled a policy shift in education: The full legislature approved an $11.2 billion bond for school improvements and a $2 billion increase in the NYC education system budget. Now Education Voters has been invited into several more states. So far this year, we have decided to launch new state affiliates in Ohio and Pennsylvania, with other states in the exploratory stage.
Visit our Education Voters of New York to learn more about our work in this state.