{"id":178,"date":"2013-02-12T11:06:02","date_gmt":"2013-02-12T16:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/coe\/?p=178"},"modified":"2013-02-12T11:06:40","modified_gmt":"2013-02-12T16:06:40","slug":"178","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/coe\/2013\/02\/12\/178\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming Education- January 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Resolution to Share Success Stories \u00a0\"Ena-Shelley12\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n


\nDear Friends,
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\nHappy New Year!<\/p>\n

January is the traditional time for many of us to set New Year\u2019s resolutions.\u00a0 In fact, you are receiving this late enough in the month that I am guessing at least a few of your resolutions have been broken.<\/p>\n

Well, good news, you get a \u201cdo over.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, I am going to ask you to set a new <\/strong>New Year\u2019s resolution with me today.<\/p>\n

We hear and read a lot about politics, education reform, and, frankly, a lot of negative press about schools. One of the challenges our political leaders face in making decisions about schools is that they too are only hearing about what is wrong\u2014not what is right or what is possible. So, consider this:<\/p>\n

What if you made it your New Year\u2019s Resolution to have at least one solution-focused<\/em> interaction about schools with a local, state, or national political leader?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I shared with you before the idea about being solution focused, using Asset Based Thinking<\/a>, but let\u2019s take that this year to a political level.<\/p>\n

How many politicians and policymakers do you think actually receive thoughtful communication about what is going well in schools and what else can be done to make schools great? Not many. This makes it difficult for even the most supportive political leader to counter the often dominant discourse about what is wrong without real stories, data, and examples of YOUR successes. So let\u2019s get started:<\/p>\n

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  1. First, find out who your representatives are at a local, state, and national level. This should also include your local- and state-level school board members. Dig deep here. Once you know who they are, figure out whom you\u2019d like to reach. Also find out who his or her chief of staff is\u2014those are the people who can help make sure your message is seen. Learn about a policymaker\u2019s record, so that, if he or she is proposing or has taken action that truly benefits schools, you can express thanks. A sincere compliment is a great ice breaker.Classroom Connection: Engage your students in this work with you!\u00a0 How many of them know their representatives?<\/em>Here are some resources to get you started:
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