How Can We Use Policy to Promote

Educational Excellence?

KAGE Jonathan Plucker, Ph.D.February 6, 2012 Indiana University

Presentation overview• Why Worry About Policy?

• What to Do About It

• Take-homes

Why Worry About Policy?The Current Policy

Landscape for Education

Some ParticularlyObvious Observations…

• Americans are public education critics.• Shifting political landscape over the

past 35 years has had obvious repercussions for education.

• Skepticism has spread virally to all parties and politicians.• Criticisms are ridiculously broad and

blunt.• Preparation programs are the new

global warming.

• Few policymakers are willing to make gifted education their key education issue.

• On issues they don’t know about, they are as informed as your next door neighbor.

Several Implications

• “Victory” is defined differently.• There’s no “war” to win here.• Redefine success as a series of small

accomplishments (i.e., influence).

Focus on …

Impact

ImpactIMPACT

Several Implications

• Stay on your heels, and you lose.

• Critics expect you to be defensive, so when you are, it feeds their base.

What to Do About It?

It’s Not Personal, It’s Politics: Part I• Policymakers are generally nice,

committed people.• Political enemies are very often private

friends.• The further you move from federal to

local levels, it’s less about politics than governance.

It’s Not Personal, It’s Politics: Part II• Many Capitol Hill education aides are in

their mid-20s with little education expertise.

• Most are heavily overworked.• Policymakers tend to focus on what they

control – nothing else exists.• Caveat: Not talking here about lobbyists,

advocates, or contractors.

Implications

• Policymakers NEED your expertise.• Vast majority will listen to your input …• … but don’t expect them to follow your

advice.

The Value of Personal Relationships

• People will work with you if you have value to them.• Means you have to compromise every

once and a while.• “I don’t love this, but should I still help?”

The Value of Personal Relationships• Once you prove value, it becomes a

personal relationship …• Recent panel example

• … but you have to take a hit every once and a while.• Charter schools, accountability system

examples

Implications

• Show a policymaker that you can and will help them out, and you will quickly gain an ally.

• Successful policy leaders compromise.

Specific Strategies• Bring concrete solutions.

• They expect you to complain• Communicate, communicate,

communicate• I’m with you on this, but I can’t get out front• Offer help from inside and outside your

program

Specific Strategies• Have a thick skin: Sometimes you just

can’t win.• Don’t count on people having your back

• Just about everyone is working behind the scenes, no matter what they tell you.

• Responding to their initiatives with “Hey, we’re doing our own cool stuff” rings hollow.

Implications• It’s impossible to win them all.• Compromises are rarely public.• Communicate regularly and positively.

• Don’t have your only contacts be “problem conversations.”

• If a relationship gets frosty, get someone else in the game.

Take-homes

• Redefine “success” and hold realistic goals.

• Best defense is a good offense.• Make sure your program values policy

involvement.• Communicate regularly and positively.• Use language your targeted

policymaker understands and values.