Communication and Advocacy
Across Settings
Promoting the Role of
School Psychology
National Association of School Psychologists,
Goals for This Presentation
• Expand communications planning and message
development skills
• Understand key messages important to advocacy
for school psychologists
• Learn methods for enhancing communications
planning with colleagues/staff
• Practice communications message development.
(Activity)
• Learn about NASP communications and
advocacy resources.
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Good communication is
responsive to emerging situations
and the knowledge needs of key
audiences.
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Communication: the basics
Communication is …
• transmitting
• exchanging
• sharing
• conveying
...knowledge, information, feelings, or a
specific message.
4
Advocacy: the basics
Advocacy is …
• to plead
• to defend
• to support
• to summon
...a cause or a proposal.
The act or process of advocating is
advocacy.
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NASP
Communications Priorities
•
•
•
•
Resilience: Building Strength for Life
School-based mental health
RTI (academic and behavior)
Prevention and Responsiveness
(anticipating/recognizing need and acting
on it)
• Professional standards and participation
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Communications Opportunities
• Focus on improved outcomes and
accountability (SPs grounded in
evidence-based practice and evaluation)
• Softening of lines between special
education and general educations (More
audiences may interact with SP services)
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Communications Opportunities
• New assessment options (RTI) under
IDEA 2004 (SPs can help shape process/
decisions)
• Reauthorization of NCLB and potential to
improve links with IDEA (RTI, PBIS, early
intervening services, school-based mental
health services)
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Failure to communicate can
result in negative outcomes
and missed opportunities.
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We need to make the case for
our services.
No one else will do it for us.
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Risks to a “Stealth” Profession
• Lopsided emphasis on curriculum/
testing (RTI not applied to behavior;
academics and behavior not linked
• Reduced or stagnant level of SP
positions (Community providers/other
school employees serve SP functions)
• Ineffective use of SP skills and training
• Increased job frustration/stress
• Negative impact on individual students
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Effective Communication
Planning and Implementation
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Three Types of Strategic
Communications
• “Calling Card”
• “Action Request”
• “Crisis Management”
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Or …. in Audience-Friendly
Terms:
Crisis
Management
Intensive
Action Request
Targeted
Calling Card
Universal
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Most strategic
communications involve
“Calling Card” and “Action
Request” processes but
should anticipate crisis
communications needs.
“Calling Card” Goals
• Increase your visibility
• Raise awareness and comfort level on an
issue
• Get more involved
• Improve collaboration
• Disseminate useful information
• Create environment for stakeholder “buy-in”
• Change behavior
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“Calling Card” Goals: Value of
School Psychologists
• Educate stakeholders on
– broad role of school psychologists
– the need for school psychological services
– the positive impact that these services have
on the mission and purpose of schools
– Limitations to performing this role as
intended (large case loads, shortages, lack
of understanding about the role, etc.)
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“Calling Card” Goals: Value of
School Psychologists
• Raise awareness among key
stakeholders of how your skills support
positive academic outcomes for
students
• Emphasize your extensive training and
availability as a “specialist” in schools
• Focus on our desire to collaborate with
others for the benefit of students
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“Calling Card” Tactics
• Provide helpful information (on a relevant
topic and SP services)
• Newsletter articles (parents, teachers)
• “Good to Know” communications with
policymakers, administrators (provide data)
• Parent handouts
• Info for website
• In-service training
• Brown-bag discussions (teachers,
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parents)
“Action Request” Goals
• Increased funding
• Support for expanded programming
(school MH services, RTI, etc.)
• Improved professional to student ratios
• Improved collaboration and coordination
of services
• Stakeholder “buy-in”
• Specific requests for changes in role,
duties, responsibilities, etc.
• Building bridges between general and
special education
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“Action Request” Tactics
• Meetings with decision makers
• School board/legislature presentations
• Conduct school-wide assessment (provide
data)
• Coalition/relationship building with allied
professionals
• Multi-pronged outreach with integrated
message
• In-service training
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• Media outreach
“Crisis Management” Goals
• Legislative crisis (change in Medicaid
rules excluding SPs from billing)
• Dissention among allied professions
(APA Model Licensure Act revision)
• Public relations crisis (bad press
coverage, editorial).
• Crisis involving school or district (school
shooting, suicide, etc.).
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“Crisis Management” Tactics
• Coordinated/integrated part of response
effort
• Rapid (but thoughtful) response.
• Direct regular communications with
“home base”
• Designated spokesperson (appropriate
level)
• Media (proactive, provide experts,
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materials, Op-Eds)
Communications Planning
Process
Planning Process
•
•
•
•
•
Assess situation
Identify target audiences
Craft messages
Select strategies/Implementation
Evaluation/follow-up
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Planning Process
Assess Situation
Identify Target
Audiences
Craft Messages
Effective
Communications
Planning
Stakeholder
Buy-In
Desired
Improved
Outcomes
Select Strategies/
Implementation
Evaluation/Follow-up
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Assess Situation
• How are school psychologists currently
utilized in your district?
• Which stakeholder groups know what you
do and appreciate it?
• What is a reasonable objective?
• What are potential opportunities for
change/improvement?
• What are the obstacles?
• What is your timeframe?
• What are your available resources? 27
Define Your Objective
• Build support for specific policy/
resource needs
• Raise awareness of your role/value to
students/adults
• Raise awareness of a specific issue
• Increase your involvement/effectiveness
on an issue
• Encourage others to act
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Possible Opportunities
• Pending legislation
• Collaboration activities with allies (i.e.,
Senate briefing)
• Budget process
• Issue confronting district/state
• Media coverage
• Release of research/reports
• Grants/research
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Possible Obstacles
• Misperceptions of decision
makers
• Tight funding
• Competing interests
• Strong opposition
• Complex issue
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Identify Target Audiences
• Decision makers (administrators,
school-boards, legislators)
• Consumers (parents, students,
teachers, administrators)
• Potential partners (school-mental health
professionals, instruction support staff)
• Who are your allies?
• Who are your opponents?
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Know Audience(s)’
•
•
•
•
•
Level of knowledge/awareness
Primary concerns/expectations
Perspective
Possible barriers to understanding
Ability/likelihood to take action
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Know Opponent(s)’
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Objectives
Primary concerns/expectations
Perspective
Barriers to understanding
Allies
Resources
Level of determination
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Research Can Be Useful
• Focus groups
• Individual interviews
• Survey (not great for message
development)
• Talk to people outside your perspective
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Message Development
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Effective Message
Structure
• Problem statement
• Action/solution
• Benefits
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Or, In Audience-Friendly Terms
Problem
Effective
Message
Structure
Benefit
Action
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Define Problem
• Student behaviors/issues (disruptive
behavior, high rate of absenteeism)
• Effects/outcomes (lower test scores,
low morale)
• Causes (poor school climate, poor
adult/student connection, factious
student body)
• Reasons (no coordinated student
outreach, no mental health/behavioral
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supports)
Be Relevant
• Understand the context.
• Highlight an important issue (reading,
bullying, testing, suicide).
• Link objective to stakeholder priorities.
• Articulate impact on student/school (link
to outcomes).
• Explain what audience can do.
• Describe benefits.
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Resonate
• Appeal to experience as well as intellect
• Use “social math,” not just statistics
• Invoke visual images/analogies, not just
explanations
• Tell stories, not just facts
• Put a “face” on issue; invited impacted
people to share their stories
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Get to the Real Point
•
•
•
•
Why do people care?
What is in it for them?
What role do they play?
How does the solution meet their
needs?
• This may vary between audiences.
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Statistics Versus ...
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
Percentage of students responding regarding behavior during 12
months
preceding survey:
YRBSS
Middle School
2003*
Survey 2003**
1. Seriously considered
attempting suicide
16.9
20.6
2. Made a specific plan
16.5
13.4
3. Made an attempt
8.5
9.7
4. Made an attempt requiring
medical attention
2.9
—
Lieberman, Poland & Cassel, In Press
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… “Social Math”
• For every 100-200 youth that attempt
suicide, one child succeeds.
• For every three youths who attempt
suicide, one goes to the hospital and
two go to school.
Lieberman, Poland & Cassel, In Press
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Definitions Versus …
“Population-based services meet the mental
health needs of all children by promoting
positive mental health attributes and
preventing/identifying mental health
problems.”
Adapted from Doll & Cummings, In Press
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… Analogies and Images
The wise forester maintains the vitality of
the whole forest and, in so doing, is able
to recognize and respond to the needs of
individual trees at risk.
Adapted from Doll & Cummings, In Press
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Facts Versus ...
Children who are bullied or ostracized can
suffer serious emotional and academic
difficulties.
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… Personal Stories
“Consider the young man who asked me a couple of years
ago, “Do you know what it is like to feel that you are hated
by everyone the first day you enter kindergarten?” This
young man had composed a journal filled with his personal
reflections on life. It was a dark and sad reflection. The last
page contained one phrase, written repeatedly until it filled
that page; “I decide who lives and who dies.” However,
there is good news with this young man. Through significant
emotional support and alternative strategies for education,
he was able to graduate last year. He hugged me on
graduation day, thanking me for believing in him. He told
me that his greatest joy was not in graduating, but in the
fact that his mother hugged him, telling him how proud she
felt.”
--John Kelly, U.S. Senate Briefing Testimony, 2006
Be Concise/Clear
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use audience appropriate language.
Avoid acronyms/technical language.
Use active tense.
Use bullets to the extent possible.
Ask colleague(s) to review.
Proof read your work (or ask someone
else to)!
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Recipe for Success
• Step 1: Pick your main message. State it at the
outset.
– Example: “School psychologists help lower
barriers to learning and promote children’s
success in school and life.”
• Step 2: Back it up with 2-3 key messages and how
the issue creates a barrier to learning.
• Step 3: Provide personal examples to put a “face
on the message”.
• Step 4: Offer specific “solution” suggestions.
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Key Messages-Mental Health
• Mental health matters.
– Good mental health is essential to success
in school and life.
– Schools are a natural place to meet
children’s mental health needs.
– Children who receive mental health support
are happier and do better in school.
– School-based mental health services are a
wise investment.
• School psychologists provide a
continuum of mental health services in50
school.
Media Outreach
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Media Outreach Options
• Submit brief articles/columns to local
paper (helpful information for readers)
• Submit letters-to-the-editor or op-eds
(articulating a position)
• Offer to be a media spokesperson/“local
expert”
• Clear media activities with your
supervisor/district communications
office
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Writing for the Media
• Press releases: What, who, why, where
(sometimes when); be brief, use quotes
• Columns: Concise, bulleted, clear useful
information
• Letters-to-the-Editor: 150-250 words;
response something in paper; very
targeted message
• Op-eds: 350-800 words; relevance, clarity,
brevity, voice, opinion; read for style
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• Follow-up
Speaking as an “Expert”
• Plan what you are going to say
• Practice your main messages (no more
than three)
• Stay on message
• Don’t hesitate to repeat important points
• Research/know your facts
• Avoid controversial local issues unless you
have direction from communications office
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Speaking as an “Expert”
• Focus on “best practice” comments
• Feel free to say “I do not know”
• Avoid commenting on the specifics of
issues w/which you are not involved
• Redirect questions about specifics to
general practice knowledge
• “I am not familiar with the specifics of
this case but generally adolescents…”
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Imagine everything you say
will appear on the front page of
The New York Times
(and that your mother, kids and
boss will read it)!
Effective communications
supports effective advocacy
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School Psychology
Awareness Week
• Opportunity to highlight the profession, your
role, value of services
• Focus on recognizing colleagues who build
resilience in students
• Downloadable certificates, e-postcards,
and NASP note cards available online
• Adaptable topical resources online
• Poster and bookmarks
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This slide presentation may be adapted by the
user to reflect specifics in your district/schools.
Content or “best practice” information may not
be changed without approval from NASP. The
NASP logo and any specific author credits must
remain. State and local school psychology
associations may add their logo and contact
information to the presentation. This slide may
be removed before giving a presentation.
©2007, National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West
Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD, 20814, (301) 657-0270
www.nasponline.org