Presented by: Ohio Association of Colleges for Teacher Education And Ohio Confederation of Teacher Education Organization 2012

Key advocacy event for the association and educator preparation programs. Attendees presence signals to elected leaders that educator preparation faculty are a committed constituency. Use our collective efforts to demonstrate our improvements and successes in preparing high-quality educators. Influence education legislation to support our vision for a comprehensive, high quality educator preparation profession. Influence Ohio education legislation

The purpose of the Ohio Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is to advocate for and provide leadership in teacher education in the State of Ohio by working collaboratively with member institutions to achieve the following objective: establish and maintain an influential voice in policymaking related to educator preparation strengthen programs and build capacity to prepare educators who can teach and support every child effectively engage in research and initiatives that address important issues in educator preparation assist the Ohio Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (OACTE) in defining positions and coalescing support for policies that advances educator preparation collaborate with professional organizations and state agencies in order to strengthen educator preparation in Ohio provide member institutions with opportunities for collaboration, professional development; and sharing of information.

Regularly visit website at for information and updates on advocacy efforts. Contacts: Jane West, Vice-President for Governmental and External Relations or Mary Harrill-McClellan, Director of Governmental Relations.

Become a resource. Educate staff and members about how the state government is an important partner in preparing teachers and providing professional development opportunities, with an end result of high quality in student learning.

Date (Spring 2012) One day event with Orientation Need to speak in one voice – consistent message Present the issues the organization will address and can provide information about.

Who are your Senators? Who represents your district in the House of Representatives? What is their party affiliation? What are their Committee assignments? What are the issues they have a special interest in or commitment to?

Introduce yourself and your institution – This is your opportunity to brag about your program. Common voice of the organization – What do we want our legislators to know about teacher preparation in Ohio. Be aware of emerging issues!

What are the on-going issues in educator preparation? What are the emerging issues where we could or should be involved? – Where do higher education and P-12 education have common ground in educator preparation?

Ohio Educator Preparation Metrics Teacher Performance Assessment Alternative Pathways to Licensure Improving Low Performing Schools

Do’s Say thank you! Do your homework: know what committees the legislator sits on, etc. Respect their time: be on time, prepared and flexible Stay on message: be clear and concise Include a local story: provide facts, figures and anecdotes Build a relationship with staff: become a resource Leave information behind Follow up: send a thank you letter immediately after the meeting

Don’ts Be late Show disappointment if your meeting turns out to be with a staff person instead of a Member Assume staffers know all about the role of Colleges of Education and how legislation will impact you and the students you serve Get off message – it’s easy to “play the name game” or discuss the weather and lose valuable meeting time Use threats Forget to leave information behind Forget to follow up or write a thank you letter

Be sure to follow up ( is often best) Find out when he/she is in the district. Often the best time to talk (fewer interruptions) Be forthright. They expect that advocates will do just that – advocate. Send s when bills come up. – Enjoy the time. Enjoyment is catching.