WCAN STATEWIDE CONFERENCE ADDRESSING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAP ROSALUND JENKINS, CONVENER BLACK EDUCATION STRATEGY ROUNDTABLE LEAGUE OF EDUCATION VOTERS Effective Advocacy The Next Level

The environment 295 School Districts with 100,000+ employees 9 Educational Service Districts 2,360 schools with 1+ million students 59,600+ Classroom Teachers $9, statewide total revenue per student Includes federal, state, local tax, and other

Policy Makers in “the system” Washington State Legislature Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Washington State Board of Education Professional Educators Standards Board 295 Local School Boards 1,477 Elected School Board Members called “directors” Fewer than 40 people of color, six African Americans See Washington State School Directors Association

What do education dollars buy?

Students in special programs Not in a special program Free or Reduced Price Lunch Special Education Foster Care Section 504 Migrant

Race/Ethnicity of Students

Race/Ethnicity of State Legislators 2012 Washington State Legislature

Factoids 2012 Hispanic/Latino Americans serving in the state Legislature 3 Number of Hispanic/Latino Americans who would be serving, if students were proportionally represented 26

Factoids 1985 African Americans serving in the state Legislature 2012 African Americans serving in the state Legislature 3 1 Number of African Americans who would be serving if representation was based on population Number of African Americans who would be serving, if black students were proportionally represented (mixed race) 5 7

Race/Ethnicity of School Directors 2012 Estimates White 97% All others combined 3%

Factoids Total elected School Board Members called “directors” in 295 school districts in 2012 Fewer than 40 people of color statewide, all races Six African Americans statewide Total mixed race board directors 1,477 ≤40 6 ?

Who attends public schools?

Players influencing the policymakers... Membership 75,000+ Washington Education Association 1,477 Washington State School Directors Association 3,500 Association of Washington School Principals 1,604Washington Association of School Administrators 140,000Washington State Parent Teacher Association

Factoids Year Founded 1889Washington Education Association 1905 Washington State Parent Teacher Association 1922 Washington State School Directors Association

The Politics pol·i·tics 1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government 2 : political actions, practices, or policies 3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) 4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person

The next level of effective advocacy is the pursuit of elective office by people whose communities are under served and those who share their sympathies. We all deserve to be represented by people who understand our needs and will act to further our interests. What is the “Next Level” of effective advocacy?

We must grasp the meaning... Focus on guiding or influencing governmental policy by winning and holding control over government. We do that by running for office to become well represented and by organizing among ourselves and with others to influence policy makers. This requires financially supporting candidates, influencing their policy stances after they are elected, and engaging personnel in schools as though they work for the community – which they do. This also requires investing in advocacy work ourselves and forming alliances with those most likely to share our sympathies.

We must grasp the meaning... Manage our political affairs or “business” as though we understand this is a competition between competing interest groups and individuals for power and leadership in government. We get there by forming and expressing our own political opinions through the electoral process and by allying with people AND groups who share our sympathies.

The Possibilities