NCTM on the Hill David Barnes, Associate Executive Director, NCTM Della B Cronin, Principal, Bose Washington Partners Michael Nirenberg, Public Affairs Specialist, Bose Washington Partners
NCTM and Advocacy NCTM Mission Statement (July 15, 2017) The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics advocates for high-quality mathematics teaching and learning for each and every student.
NCTM and Advocacy Strategic Framework Teaching and Learning: NCTM provides guidance and resources for the implementation of research-informed and high-quality teaching that supports the learning of each and every student in equitable environments. Access, Equity and Empowerment: NCTM advances a culture of equity where each and every person has access to high-quality teaching empowered by the opportunities mathematics affords. Building Member Value: NCTM provides community and resources to engage and listen to members in order to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. Advocacy: NCTM engages in advocacy to focus, raise awareness, and influence decision makers and the public on issues concerning high-quality mathematics teaching and learning. Approved by the NCTM Board of Directors on July 15, 2017
Activities NCTM and Advocacy Hill Visits at D.C. Annual / Research Conference New Advocacy Website - Launching soon. New Legislative Platform Joining Coalitions STEM Ed, Title IV, Title II-A Letter writing/sign-on and supporting Hill Briefings Title II-A online Resources Social Media and Blogs Thank you taking part!
Why is Advocacy Important? Advocacy simply means actively supporting a cause, and trying to get others to support it as well. Advocacy is speaking up, drawing attention to an important issue and directing decision makers towards a solution. Advocacy in education is crucial to the improvement of federal programs and the preservation of federal investments.
What will happen on April 25? 10:00 AM Hill Preparation Meeting at the Convention Center 12:00 PM Start of Hill Meetings Travel to Capitol Hill 4:00 PM Hill meetings are complete and head back to Convention Center 4:30 PM Hill Debrief Meeting 5:30 PM NCTM Annual Conference Opening Keynote at Convention Center
Before Coming to Washington, DC Identify the three Members of Congress working for you, here. Visit their websites and see what Committees they are on or what their positions are on education issues. Think of a compelling story from your school that highlights a need for you and math educators. Read Capitol Report to see what has been happening on the Hill. Read What Calling Congress Achieves on the benefits of communicating with Hill representatives. Watch a video with tips on meeting with elected officials: So You have a meeting with a Congressional Office where former Capitol Hill staffers offer advice for constituents meeting with members of Congress or their staffs.
Before Coming to Washington, DC Familiarize yourself with NCTM s legislative platform. Take a look at your state s ESSA plan. Start thinking about the following asks : Invest adequately in K-12 professional development programs authorized in Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Invest adequately in the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program, authorized in Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act and funded by the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education bill. Reject calls to repeal Title II of the Higher Education Act, as proposed in the PROSPER Act (HR 4508); current law s Title II of HEA includes TEACH Grants and the Teacher Quality Partnership program, which are important to the teaching and learning of STEM subject in K-12 schools.
What s the Hill Like?
Staffers Significantly Outnumber Members of Congress
Hill Staff Come in Two Forms
Despite Variable Titles, Most Staffers Have Similar Jobs Sample Job Titles for Committee and Personal Office Staffers Title for Personal Office Staffers Function Title for Committee Staffers Chief of Staff, Administrative Assistant Legislative Director, Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Policy Advisor Counsel, Legislative Counsel Legislative Assistant Communications Director, Press Secretary Office Manager, Systems Administrator No equivalent Legislative Correspondent Staff Assistant Serve as chief advisor and administrator for member or committee Act as chief policy advisor, especially in area of committee jurisdiction Provide legal advice to member or committee Offer guidance on specific policy issue Speak to media on behalf of member or committee Oversee management of office and facilities Conduct oversight of government programs within jurisdiction of committee Respond to constituent contacts on behalf of member Answer phones, greet visitors, perform administrative tasks Staff Director Deputy Staff Director, Chief Policy Advisor, Senior Policy Advisor Counsel, Chief Counsel, General Counsel Legislative Assistant, Policy Advisor, Professional Staff Member Communications Director, Press Secretary Office Manager, Systems Administrator Investigator, Chief Investigator No equivalent Staff Assistant Analysis While the structure of a committee is different than that of a personal office, most Congressional staffers exist in a relatively similar hierarchy, whether they work for a committee or a single member Sources: R. Eric Petersen, Congressional Staff: Duties and Functions of Selected Positions Congressional Research Service, November 4, 2010; Congressional Management Foundation.
Expect to Meet with Staffers During Hill Visits Member of Congress Visitors may not realize how highly overscheduled Members are; they average 70-hour weeks when in D.C., often achieved by double-booking meetings It is not uncommon for Members to show up halfway through a meeting or leave part of the way through Chief of Staff Visitors may not expect how often chiefs are in communication with a Member; the tight bond means that chiefs are often delegated to speak for Member to constituents Legislative Director Visitors may not expect that LDs tend to be specialists in the policies of the committees on which Member serves; they may focus less on other areas Meetings are most often scheduled with and run through one or more of these staffers Legislative Assistant Visitors may not expect that LAs are very young; their average age is under 29 Legislative Correspondent/Staff Assistant Visitors may not expect that LCs and SAs tend to be even younger than LAs, often recent college grads LCs and SAs may join in meetings as a junior staffer or note-taker Analysis Because members of Congress are often running from meeting to meeting to vote, staffers will often have more time to devote to a meeting, and be more capable of affecting any takeaway Sources: 2010 House Compensation Study, Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives; Communicating With Congress, Congressional Management Foundation, 2011.
Preparing for Meetings Be on time Arrive no more than 5 minutes before the meeting; Members are rarely available to meet earlier and Hill offices are too small to accommodate lingering constituents Inform the Scheduler if you are going to be late in case another meeting time must be arranged Be flexible Prepare to meet with either the Member or the Member s staff; treat both with equal respect If the Member arrives in the middle of your meeting, continue as usual; and the Member will ask questions if needed Quick takes Advocates can leverage face-to-face meetings with Members of Congress and their staff to communicate their positions and build enduring relationships with their representatives However, meetings are brief and Members are busy; advocates should keep the tips below in mind to get the most of their meetings Keep politics out of it Do not discuss elections or campaign support in your meeting; it intimates that the Member is for sale Respect the Member s political views and relationships outside of the issue at hand Stay on topic Raise only the issue you scheduled to discuss with the Member and the Member s staff to keep the meeting focused and persuasive Leave behind brief information Leave behind a 1-2 page briefing with data points on the issue discussed with the Member s office; the document should serve as a helpful resource for staff as the issue moves through Congress Source: Congressional Management Foundation and the Society for Human Resource Management, Face-to-Face with Congress: Before, During, and After Meetings with Legislators, 2014 XYZ ISSUE REPORT
Tips for Talking with Staff Start with Thank You. The majority of members and staff are not educators, but have opinions on education. Keep messages simple. Tell a story. Don t be too detailed, and don t overwhelm your listeners with jargon. Don t assume they will know the acronyms you use.
Follow Up: Use follow-ups to build trust and to become a resource Steps to take following a meeting with a member of Congress Send a thank you message Send a follow-up e-mail several days after meeting with a Member Keep the message brief, thank the office for their time, and remind the office of the issue at hand Leave a link to a reliable source of information on the issue for the office to reference Attend events in the district Attend town hall meetings or other public events in the district to build a stronger relationship with your representative Find opportunities to engage in policy matters in the district and serve as trustworthy resource to earn visibility for your issue Stay in touch Quick takes Advocates can become trusted resources for lawmakers by following up and keeping in touch with them after face-to-face meetings Advocates should consider following the steps to the left to position themselves as effective and trustworthy advocates for their issue Do not over-communicate with Members of Congress, but do pass along new information about your issue as it is released Communicate with your representative in a respectful and informative manner to gain the representative s respect for you and your points of view Sources: Congressional Management Foundation and the Society for Human Resource Management, Face-to-Face with Congress: Before, During, and After Meetings with Legislators, 2014.
Logistics
Capitol Hill Is A (Relatively) Small Neighborhood Getting To The Hill By Car Capitol Hill offers few public parking options; street parking is difficult. The nearest garage is north of the Capitol, by Union Station Many visitors prefer to arrive by taxi, available throughout the city. Federal Center Metro By Public Transportation For most visitors, the Metro system will prove the best transportation bet. The Red Line (subway) serves the north side of the Capitol, while the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines offer two stations to the south The Metrobus serves various points around the Hill; visit WMATA.com to see detailed maps By Foot D.C. is a relatively walkable city. However, hot and humid weather may make long walks inadvisable during summer months Rayburn House Office Building Longworth House Office Building House Senate Capitol South Metro Cannon House Office Building Capitol Visitors Center Entrance Russell Senate Office Building Dirksen Senate Office Building Union Station Metro (not on map) Library of Congress Madison Building Library of Congress Jefferson Building Supreme Court Hart Senate Office Building
The Geography of the House Side Public, handicapped accessible entrance N House Chamber First Street SE W S E Independence Avenue Rayburn House Office Building Longworth House Office Building Cannon House Office Building Capitol South Metro Building Rayburn (RHOB) Longworth (LHOB) Cannon (CHOB) Numbering system All rooms are four digits; the first is always 2, the second indicates floor All rooms are four digits; the first is always 1, the second indicates floor All rooms are three digits; the first indicates floor Example Rep. Steve Cohen s office, 2404 RHOB, is on the fourth floor of Rayburn Rep. Paul Ryan s office, 1233 LHOB, is on the second floor of Longworth Rep. Nancy Pelosi s office, 235 CHOB, is on the second floor of Cannon
S. Capitol Street Inside the House Office Buildings Public, Handicapped Accessible Entrance Independence Avenue Rayburn Longworth Cannon 2#79 to 2#88 2#07 to 2#16 #34 to #41 2#00 to 2#06 2#55 to 2#65 2#66 to 2#78 2#41 to 2#54 2#17 to 2#29 Underground Tunnels 2#30 to 2#40 1#37 to 1#41 1#24 to 1#36 1#14 to 1#23 Underground Tunnels #13 to #20 #21 to #34 C Street SW & SE
The Geography of the Senate Side Public, Handicapped Accessible Entrance N Russell Senate Office Building First Street NE Dirksen Senate Office Building Hart Senate Office Building W S E Constitution Avenue Senate Chamber Building Russell (SR) Dirksen (SD) Hart (SH) Numbering System Example All rooms are three digits, the first digit indicating floor number and a prefix indicating office building Sen. Harry Reid s office, SH 522, is located on the fifth floor of the Hart building
SR #82 to SR #99 SD #00 to SD #31 1 st Street NE SH #16 Inside the Senate Office Buildings Location and Floor Plan of the Senate Office Buildings Public, Handicapped Accessible Entrance C Street NE Russell Dirksen Hart SR #60 to SR #81 SD #32 to SD #48 SH #23 to SH #32 Underground Tunnels SH #11 to SH #14 SH #19 to SH #22 SH #01 to SH #10 SR #00 to SR #29 Constitution Avenue SD #49 to SD #65 Interior doors connect Dirksen and Hart
Resources NCTM Advocacy Toolkit AACTE s federal advocacy resources NEA s perspective on the House HEA bill Edu-tweeters Committee for Education Funding: @edfunding Politics K-12: @politicsk12 Education Dive: @educationdive The 74: @The74 Caitlin Emma (Politico): @caitlinzemma
Questions?