Advocating for Higher Student Achievement Throughout Georgia

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Company/Organization: Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
CEO/Board Chair: Stephen D. Dolinger, President
Level of Involvement: State
State: Georgia
Type of Initiative: Advocacy & Leadership
Target Priority: Prepare All High School Graduates for College and Careers

"We've held to the belief that if we provide current, research-based, nonpartisan information to our policymakers, they will be equipped to make the best decisions on behalf of children," Diane Hopkins, Vice President of Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

Overview
The brain child of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Economic Developers Association, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education was founded in 1990 to offer compelling research and nonpartisan advocacy in order to educate and engage Georgia leaders in the improvement of state education policies and practices. While the group has provided over $30 million in funds to local school districts to support reform models, it is the leadership and advocacy work of the Partnership that truly stands out. The Georgia Partnership, advocating for education reform based on high standards, transparent benchmarks of progress and comprehensive accountability measures, has helped business leaders, policymakers, educators, parents and students understand and implement education reform through a variety of effective advocacy efforts, most notably the Economics of Education briefings, Bus Trip Across Georgia, the election year Education Policy Forums, and distribution of research publications.

Strategies for Success
In 2004, in collaboration with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Partnership began a new Economics of Education campaign to engage community and business leaders in the next phase of education reform: improving Georgia's high schools. Utilizing state and national education and economic data and beginning with a basic research question - What are the economic consequences of stagnant high school graduation rates in each of Georgia's 12 regions? - the Partnership has conducted regional and county briefings exploring how vital an educated citizenry is to achieving and maintaining economic prosperity. By directly linking education and economic outcomes, the Partnership has built grassroots support across the state for more rigorous education policies and has briefed more than 60 business and community groups since the campaign's inception. In the subsequent phase, community outreach was expanded through the development of the How To's of Community Planning, which provides a tool-kit and a facilitator so that leaders can create a strategic plan to improve the schools in their communities.

A long-term program that highlights best practices is the Partnership's annual Bus Trip Across Georgia, which began in 1993. Each year, the Georgia Partnership organizes a multi-day trip around Georgia. Local and state business, education, government and civic leaders travel together to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing Georgia's education system and to observe educators directly improving learning opportunities for their students.

A third advocacy strategy adopted to educate, engage and influence policymakers is the Education Policy Forums. With the Georgia School Boards Association, the Georgia Partnership offers Education Policy Forums each election year for local school board and state legislature candidates. These nonpartisan sessions are designed to provide potential decisionmakers with an inside look at the top education issues facing the state and a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities in Georgia's education system. Fourth, Partnership publications, including the annual Top 10 Issues to Watch and a four-part gap analysis series, also provide elected officials and decision makers with a data-driven synthesis and analysis of current research and best practices from national and state sources to guide their decisions.

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education incorporates several advocacy strategies recommended by Business Toolkit for Better Schools in its campaigns and programs, including:

Make the case that the global economy demands higher expectations, a renewed commitment to math and science investments and data-driven decision making
Provide compelling data and evidence; issue reports and policy briefs
Communicate with reporters and editorial boards; publish op-eds on education reform; give speeches
Join or start local or statewide nonprofit coalitions of like-minded business leaders to advance education reform
Organize, support and partner with education, civic and political allies
Serve on local, statewide and national school boards, commissions and task forces
Keep the public conversation focused on the vision for the public education system
Take the "long view" (beyond political election cycles) and bring neutrality to politically polarized situations
Sustain the public's commitment to school reform over time

Indicators of Success
The Georgia Partnership has had significant success in reaching each of its target audiences. The Economics of Education effort continues to flourish, as local communities adopt the presentations as a template for their own advocacy campaigns. Media attention to showcased schools on the Bus Trip Across Georgia is increasing. Leaders in at least two communities, Elbert and Troup Counties, after hearing the Partnership briefing, have begun to develop plans to get more involved in their education systems. In 2006 alone, 13 Policy Forums were held, educating more than 250 candidates about Georgia's education system and offering these candidates an introduction to a complicated but critical area of public policy. And, reports like the Top 10 Issues to Watch in 2008 and the Teaching Quality Gap Analysis inform policymakers with research for the systemic improvement of education.

Next Steps
All four of these advocacy campaigns have something important in common: They are all sustainable, multi-year programs that have grown in scope and popularity since their introduction. The Georgia Partnership will continue to educate and excite leaders across the state with the annual Bus Tours, work with counties and school districts to strengthen the link between economic development and education reform with presentations and follow-up support and inform potential and current policymakers about the full spectrum of issues in education reform.

Related Materials
Web site

Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education

Materials for the Public

Presentations

Economics of Education Presentation Booklet

Updated: March 2008