No education equity movement is possible without the frontline workers in our classrooms: educators. Educators play a crucial role in the lives of students and serve as vessels of information and content knowledge. Currently, schools across the country are at the center of harmful political agendas and educators, especially educators of color, are often not given the tools and support necessary to step up, speak out, and grow as leaders and advocates for the betterment of their students. When we equip educators with the language, resources, and advocacy tools, they can better support students’ academic journeys, push for best policies and practices, and are more likely to remain in the classroom.

Teaching in an urban district, barriers such as lack of safe and reliable transportation, community and domestic violence, inconsistent student supports, linguistic barriers, and a culturally unsuitable curriculum hindered my first graders’ academic success. The hardest part of it all was being told my job was “just teaching,” when these barriers continued to show up in the classroom and prevent students from reaching their full potential. Advocacy became a part of my educational journey when I realized that “just teaching” wasn’t enough for my students.

When administrative reactions to unsafe behaviors meant my students, who often needed me the most, were being removed from the classroom, I knew there needed to be an alternative approach that allowed my students the opportunity to acclimate themselves back into a learning environment following a global pandemic. Advocating meant going beyond “just teaching” to implement a behavioral plan to support my students’ well-being and the safety within our learning environment. This included a tiered approach to behaviors that my students, their families, and administrators would agree upon to be used in my classroom in place of zero-tolerance policies. Being an educator means advocating for your students who need it most, even when it takes six months of a school year to get it done. Watching students succeed and overcome barriers to reach that “aha!” moment makes navigating through the woes of advocacy worthwhile.

Part of being a teacher leader means being an advocate and using our professional expertise to impact change at any level. In the fight for educational equity, the voices and experiences of students and teachers must be centered. That is why EdTrust developed the “Communications for Fierce Advocacy” training series aimed at connecting educators with communications experts to build and amplify teachers’ advocacy voices through various mediums and communications outlets.

This cohort of advocates consisted of educators of color from multiple states and across disciplines and grade levels, from elementary to high school. By providing monthly trainings, we were able to build teachers’ advocacy skills around effective and asset-framed messaging for narrative change, blog and op-ed writing as a vehicle for advocacy, raising your voice and profile on social media, and the importance of media relations and reporter relationships for narrative influence.

Through my own experience in the classroom and in speaking and listening to educators today, I have learned many ways educators can play a role in pushing for equity to create change for students. Here are four lessons and tips for educators engaging in advocacy work:

1. Know, Practice, and Refine Your Story and Messages: Part of being a teacher leader and advocate is sharing your story and content expertise, especially with those who can enact policy changes. Our stories, experiences, and words have the capacity to change hearts and minds.
2. Research, Stay Up to Date on Education Issues, and Find Opportunities to Share Solutions: It is important to remain up to date on the issues and policies affecting our school communities. It is equally important to find opportunities to voice and testify to the issues affecting day-to-day realities and provide evidence-based solutions — whether at local or state school board meetings, state legislative hearings, townhalls, advisory councils, or committees. There is an opportunity at every level of governance to move people to action to enact change.
3. Identify Your Target Audience and Keep in Contact with Decision-Makers, Advocates, and Other Influencers: Organizing meetings, writing letters, and engaging directly on social media are all concrete ways to demonstrate to your target audience that you know and care about education. Whether connecting with reporters, district leaders, state representatives, or other leaders in the education space, it is important to remain engaged and connected to those with platforms and in a position of power.
4. Write Op-Eds, Blogs, Letters to the Editor, and Testimonials: Writing opinion pieces for the local newspaper, contributing to education blogs, and providing testimonials at meetings, helps ensure that teachers’ voices and perspectives are heard and shapes the narrative of education issues happening in the classroom.

In order for teachers to engage in advocacy authentically and intentionally, school and district leaders must create the support systems and spaces necessary for developing and using the skills learned. This includes pointing educators to professional development and opportunities. It is best to listen and respond to educators’ needs rather than assume what their needs are.

They say those closest to the pain should be closest to the power, and teachers are in classrooms every day, experiencing the painful and beautiful realities of policies that are far too often made without their input. Through advocacy, teachers can put themselves in proximity to power and bring their stories, and those of their students, to the policy-making spaces and decision-making tables.

Empowering educators with the tools and platforms for advocacy is integral for achieving education equity. By supporting teachers in their advocacy efforts, we can create a more inclusive and equitable education system that truly reflects the diverse experiences and needs of all students.