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June 15, 2001

Running a Successful Technology Campaign: A Political Primer

By Jerry Crystal

Convincing citizens at all levels of your school community to adopt a new technology plan requires careful planning and a good amount of political savvy. Here, we offer tips for legislating change.

Preamble

Ever since the ruling body of Athens condemned Socrates to death for being "a curious person . . . and teaching all this to others," initiating change in schools has been a dangerous proposition. Socrates' example reminds us that schools are political institutions, and as such, require keen negotiating and networking skills for instituting change. Likewise, a persuasive campaign for new educational technology requires that administrators be aware of the various political constituencies-each with its own needs, concerns, and powers-within their school system. Agents of change must be willing to listen to these constituencies and create alliances with them. While school boards rarely impose the death penalty these days, their budget decisions can spell a quick demise to your carefully conceived technology plan.

Preparing for the Campaign

Before beginning your crusade for change, you must be sure of your objectives and their positive outcomes. If you are not convinced of the rightness of your plan, then you will never be able to convince the naysayers. Examine honestly the technological and educational realities of your plan and be the expert who can respond to anyone's question-from the soccer mom to the superintendent. But be realistic: education is slow to change direction. Unless you are the superintendent, any technology project you try to initiate will take from six to eighteen months just to reach a starting date. Have patience and prepare for the long haul.

The Seven Constituencies

You must be prepared to work with seven basic constituencies to insure the implementation and success of your project. Each has power, to a greater or lesser degree, to affect the outcome of your campaign. In smaller school districts, you may need to approach the superintendent at the outset to inform him or her of your plan. In larger districts, you might begin with midlevel administrators to build positive political momentum.

1. Superintendent Enlist the support of the superintendent. If your plan is a sound, well-conceived one, it is a winning situation for students, educators, and the superintendent, as well. As the guardian of the school board's agenda, that person proposes and approves budget changes, so educating the superintendent in the goals of your plan is imperative. An initiative that might create a model district can also generate a good deal of positive PR for his or her leadership skills, something that as an elected official he or she depends upon.

2. Midlevel administrators Tap into the expertise of principals, assistant principals, or department heads of the school or district. If you are the director of technology, you may even be one of these; if so, all the better. Midlevel administrators are the nexus through which all issues flow. From a paper clip purchase to a multimillion-dollar lab, they ensure that nothing occurs within their schools without their express knowledge and approval. They also inform and advise the superintendent about matters of import.

To begin your campaign on a positive note, recruit supporters from midlevel administration. Their insights into the politics of your district will be invaluable as you move forward with focus group sessions and community meetings.

3. Teachers, teachers' union, and other support staff Muster buy-in from teachers. They may not have the greatest power to initiate a project, but teachers do have the power to aid its success or ensure its demise. Countless educational initiatives have failed because of a lack of teacher involvement and support. To insure your plan's success, involve teachers early in the process. Seek out their opinions, insights, and concerns through focus group sessions (see "The Power of Focus Groups," page 38). Teachers are also your best informational conduit to and from parents and students. If you don't have the teachers on board, all is for naught.

4. Parents, parent-teacher organizations, and students Demonstrate your support for parents' concerns. While they are not the final decision makers, their voices are heard loudest by the decision makers. It is not uncommon for major issues of school boards to be decided by the lobbying of a small, dedicated group of vocal parents. Bring your PTO members in first and then expand your parental ring of information and support. Encourage input from parents, and address each question or comment with a smile. Remember also that kids influence their parents, embrace change easily, and can tug at the heartstrings of board members. Where your PowerPoint presentation may fail to move a skeptical school board, posters from a district school's fifth-graders may win their support.

5. Community organization and business leaders Be proactive about taking advantage of community resources. Community and business leaders constitute the peer group of the school board, town council, and superintendent. Their support and involvement in any educational technology solution help exert pressure on the decision makers. These organizations and leaders may also provide financial support, expertise, and other resources. Ask to speak about your technology plan at a Rotary Club luncheon or other community event.

6. The school board or town council Address the concerns of board and council members. Depending on your district's system of governance, one or both of these groups hold the keys to the coffer. However, be aware that some members may be there primarily to fight for a single issue of concern to them, such as better bus service, more preschool programs, or a lower tax rate. The only way you will get their vote is if you can convince them your solution will positively affect their agenda or if you are able to generate enough political momentum to endanger their position.

7. Naysayers and skeptics Respond to criticisms on a case-by-case basis. This final constituency is the most difficult to categorize because it can include members from any of the previous groups. It is also the constituency that may offer the most resistance to change. Naysayers range from discontented department heads who may see the expansion of the TechEd department as a threat to their budget, to community members who fear more money for technology means less for other necessary programs. They may also include teachers who worry that your new technology plan will only increase their workload. Often a very vocal group, naysayers and skeptics may rally further support in the enclaves of the teachers' lounge and the politically charged forum of the department meeting. Listen to the concerns of each separately, and do your best to allay their fears.

Troubleshooting with Analogies and Examples

Though statistics and hard facts are definitely essential components of the persuasive pitch, using analogies and examples can also be a surprisingly effective method for winning support. Here, we provide you with a sampling of responses that may help you communicate your vision to others and aid you in facing some of the more common contentions from the various quarters in your district.

The board member who asks, "Why do we need to give students increased access to technology? They already have computer class two times a week (averaging fifteen minutes per day). That should be enough."

Imagine if we took all the books in school and put them into the school Book Lab. Teachers would drop off their students at the Book Lab twice a week for 45 minutes. Since books are only available in the Book Lab, teachers would not assign reading in their own classrooms. The kids who could afford books at home could learn to be better readers, but without structured guidance, even they would have gaps in knowledge. Could we say then that our students would be proficient readers? Would they understand context clues, reading for meaning, skimming, or how to use an index or glossary? Of course not! Just as reading is not learned for reading's sake, technology is not learned for technology's sake. Learning to use technology as a tool takes exposure, instruction, integration, and time.

The veteran teacher who says, "Why do I need to learn these new technologies? I have been teaching for 20 years and I never needed to know how to use a computer before."

Think about how many other occupations have been transformed by the infusion of technology in the last 25 years. In today's grocery stores, lasers scan purchases, coupons are automatically subtracted, payment is made with a debit card, and inventory is simultaneously updated so as to minimize overstocking and keep down prices. Twenty-five years ago you may have waited in bank lines to deposit your paycheck. Today, you can opt for direct deposit, pay bills online, and access your accounts, anytime and anywhere. Virtually every business, from a car repair garage to a surgeon's office, has been revolutionized by technology in the last two decades.

Twenty-five years ago a teacher's tools were a piece of chalk, pointer, and textbook. Today your tools are a piece of chalk, pointer, and textbook. Don't teachers deserve the same opportunity as checkout clerks and bankers to modernize and enhance their occupations? Imagine how giving educators the same tools as other professionals will empower education and transform what happens in our 21st-century classrooms.

The hesitant teacher who offers, "I don't mind trying to use the technology, but it makes me uncomfortable that the kids know more about it than I do. What am I going to do if they ask me a question I can't answer?"

When someone asks a technology question you are unsure of, turn it back to the rest of the class. Say to them, "I'm stuck on this one; does anybody know how to insert a new column in Excel?" Perhaps one of the quiet kids will have the answer. Maybe students will see that it is all right not to know and to work together to find solutions. We can turn what we don't know into a "teaching moment." We can model the very kind of critical thinking and problem-solving skills we're trying to teach.

The parent who states, "We should be putting that money into [insert their favorite traditional program here], not spending it on costly computers and technology education."

Which is more important in the building of a house, the foundation or the roof? If you build a house without a foundation, it will be hard to build something that stands very long, regardless of the roof. Likewise, if you build a house with a fantastic foundation but no roof, the elements will destroy everything, including the foundation. A house needs both a roof and a foundation. Likewise, a school district needs both [insert their program here] and technology education. Both are essential in preparing students to succeed. Anyone who would place one against the other is practicing the politics of division; it is best to address the importance of both types of programs head-on and not to create a conflict where one does not exist.

Jerry Crystal, director of technology integration for the Bloomfield, Conn., Public Schools, is a writer, speaker, and consultant.

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