Much of my career has been spent trying to make sure people across the state are comfortable and confident participating in state government, from walking into the legislature to interacting with policymakers.
As Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon, says, “I can promise you what you won”t get. You won’t get things you don’t ask for.”
How to be an effective advocate in these polarized, politicized times is more important than ever, and it is more important than ever at the local, state, and federal level.
When it comes to education, the ecosystem of politics and policy in North Carolina is complicated.
We have the governor; the governor’s education cabinet; the N.C. General Assembly; the UNC System with 17 educational institutions; the community college system and our 58 community colleges; the chair and State Board of Education; an elected superintendent of public instruction; the Department of Public Instruction, serving 2,494 local public schools and 211 public charter schools; 115 superintendents; 115 school boards; and the Division of Non-Public Education, serving 96,529 homeschools and 881 private schools.
The federal government and our 100 county commissions play important roles in funding education.
As an independent, online media outlet, EdNC does not advocate, but based on our reporting and research, we share advocacy strategies with the public and our readers.
Note that voters are at the top of this organizational chart. You matter!
Advocacy 101: What do you want and what is your strategy?
My colleague Ran Coble taught me that to be an effective citizen advocate, you need to first ask yourself what it is that you want: Is it money? Is it a change in law? Is it that you want to stop something somebody else is proposing?
The next question to help you think about being an effective advocate is to ask whether your issue is partisan (one or both parties are staked out on), a nonpartisan issue, or an issue where those for and against it divide not along party lines but some other dividing line.
Then you need a strategy. Hiring a lobbyist is not a strategy in and of itself.
You need a strategy for the long session and the short session. You need a strategy for the Senate and the House. You need a bench of champions — from legislators who will file your bill early on all the way through who will be on the conference committee for the budget to make sure your priority is in there.
If you need money, you have to have Republican support because they’re the majority party and in control of the budget. But you’ll also need to have a relationship with the governor and his team if you need to make sure legislation is or isn’t vetoed.
If it’s a change in law, it’s best for the short-term to have a lead Republican sponsor. But for a variety of reasons, including longer term support for an issue from both sides of the aisle, you might want to seek bipartisan sponsorship and support.
If what you want is to stop something, you may not need a legislative majority because so much of the legislative committee process is by consensus. Consecutive, well-placed objections by a few legislators, or a suggestion from a legislator friendly to you saying “we need to study this some more,” may postpone action on the bill.
And if you want to stop something, but can’t stop it in the legislature, don’t forget that the courts are there to review legislation.
Advocacy 201: Understanding how to navigate
Throughout his career, Coble offered these practical tips, among others, for navigating the legislature:
Be specific. If it’s money, say exactly how much and what it’s for. If it’s a law or regulation, try to say or write in plain English how you think the law should read.
Work at the committee level, and always talk to the committee chairperson.
Write it down. Put your position and what you want in writing. The process of writing it down will refine your thinking and help the policymaker. But keep what you write for the policymaker brief — to one page if you can.
Do your homework on your facts, your opponents’ facts, and the people who have the power to make policy. Produce your fact sheet that supports your position, and check behind yourself.
Use your numbers of people — your clients, your members, and your volunteers. Nothing impresses a policymaker like large numbers, and numbers may be your main strength.
Form an alliance or coalition with other groups with the same concerns. There is strength in numbers, but greater strength in greater numbers.
Ask and track where legislators stand on issues. Are they for or leaning for an issue? Are they against or leaning against an issue? Or are they undecided?
Meet with your opposition and see if you can reach a compromise.
Be prepared for the three questions public officials ask most frequently: How do you know it will work? What will it cost? Has it been tried in other states, especially in other Southern states?
Thank the official. Praise them publicly. Give them an award. Let your members know who helped them, and ask them to thank the official also. Public officials usually only hear from people who are dissatisfied or unhappy. And, to keep them on your side, you have to let them know that their action is helping someone. Tell them what happened as a result of that bill being passed.
This is my favorite recent example of how to say thank you.
Coble says the following influence the success of advocates:
- Picking your messenger carefully,
- Being strategic in your timing,
- Thinking carefully about the packaging or framing of issue — language is really important, and
- What you decide to recommend.
Advocacy 301: Building relationships
Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham, and then-Sen. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, issued an important reminder together back in November 2021, speaking to the NC10 but about education advocacy.
“Advocacy is job number one,” said Steinburg. “Having relationships is paramount.”
“When it comes down to advocacy and how that can happen, you are failing if you don’t have your legislator on your campus at least twice an academic year,” said Hawkins. “And you need to be here (at the legislature). Where are you? I haven’t seen you in awhile. When I don’t see you in awhile, that’s a problem.”
Hawkins speaks to the power of the “go and see.” Invite legislators to your school, your community college, your communities. Not just once, but over and over again.
And instead of the all too brief dog-and-pony show legislators sometimes get, invite them to ride the school bus, have coffee with your superintendent, watch a teacher explain how literacy instruction has changed, and tell them stories they can take back to Jones Street.
At community colleges, you have so many opportunities to provide legislators with an experience they will ever forget, from sending them up in a bucket truck to welding and seeing the sparks fly.
EdNC provides in-depth profiles on policymakers so you can get to know them beyond the headlines.
And don’t just get to know the legislators. Get to know the legislative aides as well.
Advocacy 401: The rise of cross-partisan strategies
“The current education policy landscape is marked by a departure from long-standing bipartisan traditions, spurred by the challenges of recent national and global events,” says a report entitled “Crossing the Partisan Divide in Education Policy,” released by the Aspen Institute in March 2024.
The report is intended to serve as a beacon of hope given the current political landscape, finding — and citing the example of myFutureNC in North Carolina — that “there is still significant potential for achieving cross-partisan successes in education policy.”
The report says, “bipartisanship is defined as the traditional collaboration between the two major political parties, symbolizing commendable compromise and collective victory.”
It notes that “the current political climate often interprets bipartisanship as a capitulation to opposing views, diminishing its value for some.”
Instead, at the root of policy wins in the education space in red states and blue states, the report finds cross-partisan approaches are working.
Cross-partisan is defined by the report as “a contemporary understanding of political collaboration that transcends traditional partisan boundaries, emphasizing support from diverse political spheres, often stemming from varied motivations.”
Successful cross-partisan education policy initiatives, the report finds, share five key elements:
- Challenges and solutions must be easy to communicate and appeal to a broad base,
- Solutions are responsive to local context and garner local support,
- Parents, teachers, the business community, or politicians in higher office are willing to provide political cover for policymakers,
- Both sides can walk away claiming a win — even if each side’s “win” is different, and
- Using the media as an accelerant.
Advocacy 501: How to make the most of an opportunity to present at the legislature
On March 26, 2024, SparkNC was invited to present to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee. The choreography of the presentation was a masterclass in advocacy.
Too often the head of an organization takes the opportunity to address the legislature without even wondering who is the best person to tell your story.
SparkNC’s choice of who spoke made a difference. Legislators heard from a principal, a superintendent, and a SparkLab leader. They also heard from a respected member of the business community, a key partner, and the director of program evaluation and education research at the Friday Institute.
The upshot? Others made the case.
SparkNC’s presentation was visually compelling, inspiring, and provided the information legislators needed to be informed about the work of the organization.
Importantly, Spark NC concluded with a specific ask for both state funds (which costs money) and state policy flexibility (which does not cost money). Additionally, they provided information on local funding, partner funding, and potential funding to help legislators better understand their plans for sustainability and growth.
SparkNC invited other partners and supporters to be in the audience as a sign of support and interest, including philanthropists.
It was evident the team did not throw this presentation together overnight. In fact, they worked on it for a “solid month,” says Lynn Moody, the president of SparkNC. They met for coffee the morning of the presentation to practice, but also to work on flow and handoffs between speakers. That paid off: the presentation felt seamless. The team took hard copies of the presentation with them, which gave them a chance to personally connect with and thank legislators as they handed them out.
Moody says, “we did miss an important step. Even though it was a school day and transportation is so difficult, we should have taken a student. Student voice is so important to our work! And they tell the story even better.”
A+.
What else can you do?
Vote. Encourage others to vote. Work in precincts and support the democratic process.
Have coffee. Get to know people who are different than you. In states where “leaps and bounds” are being made, leaders have found ways to work across difference. Build relationships locally and statewide. As issues become more polarized, more politicized, and more divisive, it means we need to be talking more not less. I recommend Duke’s North Carolina Leadership Forum.
Learn more about education policy. I recommend the Public School Forum of NC’s Education Policy Fellowship Program.
Run for office. When educators run for office, they keep public school issues at the forefront. We need educators running for office in every single county. I recommend the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership.
EdNC’s resources for advocates
You can find all of our coverage of the 2025-26 long session here.
Here is what we call “State Government 101,” which we update each session of the legislature.
As a new session begins, here’s everything you need to know about North Carolina government
EdNC has legislative previews on early education, K-12, and community colleges.
If you want to advocate in the early childhood space, here are some additional resources.
Here is our who’s who in leadership in the legislature.
It is important to understand how much money there is to spend on education and why, so EdNC will keep you updated on revenue and tax policy too.
EdNC has four reporters who will be covering the legislature this session, including Hannah Vinueza McClellan, Liz Bell, Chantal Brown, and Ben Humphries. Stay tuned.
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