May 9, 2012

Building the Case for Adult Education:

A Guide to Advocacy Communications

Welcome Steven Baker, Jobs for the Future

External Advocacy Kent Fischer, GMMB

Internal Advocacy Jennifer Foster, Illinois Community College Board

Discussion Jeff Landis, Jobs for the Future

Advocacy communications

Kent Fischer, Vice President

Who am I?

• Education writer for 15 years• Vice President in GMMB’s Seattle office• Help lead education portfolio, including

postsecondary clients

Advocacy communications

Advocacy communications: The basics

• Communicating for action• Know which audiences you need• Know what you want them to do• Differentiate communications around

those “asks”

Communicating for Action

• Segment your audiences• Define your channels• Know what moves them

Who do you need on your side?

• Vote “yes”?• Click a link?• Sign a petition?• Keep mum?

Know what you want them to do

• Compelling messages• Simple language• Well defined tactics• Trusted messengers

Design communications around those asks

• Under promise / over deliver• Squeeze out the jargon

Words matter, but so does substance

• Don’t think you can dig deep. You can’t. You’ll get 5 minutes of their time.

• Tell them simply what it is you are trying to do (“Help more kids graduate ready for jobs.”)

• Tell them the blowback they are going to feel from constituents.

• No Jargon!

Reaching policymakers

Discussion

Communicating the Plan

•Jennifer K. Foster•Senior Director for Adult

Education•Project Coordinator

Include a variety of partners in the design and development of the project

Illinois State Level PartnersGovernor’s OfficeICCB StaffAdvocacy GroupsAdult Education CTEColleges: President, VPs, Faculty, Dev. Ed., Student ServicesProfessional Development and TrainingResearch and PolicyLabor

Develop a Team of Champions

Capitalize on existing initiativeDon’t reinvent the wheelWithin the state and outside of the state

• Joyce Foundation “Shifting Gears Initiative” • Sector based strategies

Illinois Adult Education Strategic PlanCommon Core and College Readiness InitiativePrograms of StudyHigher Education Public AgendaPresident’s VisionEconomic Impact StudyPerformance Based Funding Task Force

Existing Initiatives

Who’s IN CHARGE?WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO MOVE THE INITIATIVE

DETERMINE WHO THE KEY PLAYERS ARE at the State Level

Determine the commonalities and how we can help each other achieve separate and common outcomes

Communicate Regularly

State Level Leadership

Meet Regularly with LocalsAllow time for discussion and sharing

Assist them in understanding the desired outcomesAllow time for Professional Development

Engage Local Colleges - Early in the Process

• Partnerships across divisions– AE, CTE, Student Services,

Financial Aid, Registration, Tutoring Services

• The ability to understand the others language

• Understand and recognize the differences

• Understand the performance outcomes and objectives of each area

• Territorial Issues

Local Leadership and Roles:

Adult Education students must be prepared CTE must be assured that the curriculum will not be watered downWork toward common objectives rather than stackedDefining the goalInitiative FatigueFinancial Assistance Needs

Local Challenges

Flexibility in scheduling of classesHoursNumber of seats available

Financial Assistance to studentsCommunicating the need co-teaching aspect of the projectConnecting the AO/ICAPS model to a bigger policy or broader planEmployer EngagementSustainability of the Project

Challenges