PEYTON WOLCOTT - COMMENTARY - U.S. PUBLIC EDUCATION

Conservative Commentary - Activist Alert

P E Y T O N W O L C O T T

How we take back our children's education:
one person, one question, one school at a time.

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Heads up to grassroots school reform activists:
Be smart, be effective
By Peyton Wolcott
Updated Thursday, November 15, 2007 - 9:10 a.m.

Just because
you can doesn't mean
you should.

Please take a moment and
think through possible
ramifications of your actions
with your school district.

Plan your moves ahead of
time; if you take action (a),
how might your district react?
What (b), (c) and (d) might
be the result?

Do you have the same
resources readily available
-- legal, financial,
public relations --
as your school district?

Are you prepared to
mortgage your house
to pay your legal bills?

Your superintendent and
school board can run the
legal clock in a variety of
ways without ever once
dipping into their own pockets.

Might there be
another way of making the
changes you believe need to
occur at your district?

Most parents and taxpayers are rational beings whose lives work
because we operate in them rationally.

When we experience a precipitating incident which warrants our
dealing with our local school districts, unfortunately most of us
generally approach them armed with facts and the same rational
thinking that enables us to pay for our houses and cars and the
property taxes that fund our local schools. Generally this is our first
mistake.

If we compound our mistake by also being angry, we might as well
go stand in front of the administration building and shake a big bag
filled with rattlesnakes -- it's no good to act surprised when the
rattlesnakes react by hissing and trying to bite us.

Watching pushback from schools, especially here in Texas,
escalate over the past few years (more at right) leaves me troubled;
I believe based on my own experiences and observation of others'
that many of the difficulties parents and taxpayers are experiencing
can be avoided by changing our approach.

Learn to turn rattlesnakes into Teddy bears

A special heads-up to
citizen journalists, bloggers

The Internet is a tremendous gift. We've seen
changes here in Texas public education in the
past five years which I do not believe would have
been possible without the Internet.

Many parents and taxpayers are finding
themselves pressed into service as citizen
journalists who have no formal journalism
background. Most often, it is these
well-intentioned folks who appear to be getting
into the most trouble. We've seen here in Texas in
the past two years alone one SLAPP suit filed and
another on the way, plus an amicus curiae by a
third district. Worse, we've had onerous
anti-sunshine legislation encumbered on all of us
as a result during this past Lege.

While the second SLAPP suit appears to have
died in its tracks with the emergence of an
attorney willing to serve pro bono, the first SLAPP
suit continues its way through the courts; tossed
out by the first judge, at last report it is now in the
appeals process.

How to change rattlesnakes
into teddy bears
It starts with changing our mindset.
After trying rational thinking, facts and
figures, reports and studies with our
local administrators, all to no avail, I
realized a new way of doing things
was necessary.

Because of my experiences over the
years as a volunteer organizing other
volunteers for charity fund raisers, it
was a natural next step for me to
organize friends into a group.

1. No adjectives.
They tend to be
inflammatory.

2. Ask questions
rather than make
accusations.

3. Be very sure of
your facts before
publishing -- have a
paper record in
hand. Wishing
doesn't make it so.

4. Give your
opponents an
opportunity to
respond. Note in
your blog that your
phone calls to the

Parisian ladies
knitting at the guillotine

district were not returned, etc. Ask the person about
whom you're writing if they disagree with any facts
you're publishing and if so and can they please
provide a paper record or some such supporting
their factual disagreement.

5. Who are you? Put your photo and your goals on
your home page along with an easily accessible
email address. One site I looked at recently posted
email addresses for all of the school district's
trustees and top administrators -- then made
visitors to the site fill out an obnoxious form in order
to send an email to the site. What's good for the
goose is good for the gander. A group in another
state prides itself on its integrity -- yet operates
completely anonymously whereas the people the
group attacks (constantly) have all been willing at
some point to come forward with their names and
contact information.

6. Mind your manners.   Attribute everything, and
properly.

7. Curb your anger. Anger's a funny emotion. It
permeates everything we do, renders our
best-intentioned work useless, and leaves us worn
out.   If your administration's done something truly
outrageous, sleep on it before posting an angry
response. Remember: In order to accomplish
anything you're going to have to organize however
small a group which means being positive enough
in your approach and outlook that people will be
drawn to you and your cause. Negativity repels.
Positive enthusiasm is a magnet.

8. No community comments.   Several reasons.
You may run hot for a while but when things start
winding down and your local administrators see (0)
comments again and again they will assume you
have no community support.   Also, a lot of
anonymous venting can occur. Let your local
newspaper handle this -- they can afford lawyers --
or talk to each other in the parking lot of your local
barbeque joint or over the produce section at the
grocery store. Venting is a form of gossip, and may
or may not support your goal. Anything that takes
away from your goal is a distraction and to be
avoided.

9. Be nice. People will like you more and you'll
sleep better at night.

10. Be friendly. Treat your administrators and/or
board members and/or any other opposition as
you'd like to be treated. I didn't make this up; it's
called "The Golden Rule."

Teddy bear (PHOTO--Steiff)

Your good name
The name of your group is more important than you can imagine. I
do not recommend including any of the following in your name:
Watchdogs, Concerned (as in "Concerned Citizens of Clearwater"),
Watch (as in "We're watching you and we're never going to be
happy with anything you do"). "Accountability" and "responsible"
are also good ones to avoid. Same for "taxes" and "taxpayers."
Better to choose an innocuous name that your district can't slam
you on for being negative, something like "Friends of Clearwater
Schools." Your district will learn what you're about soon enough.

Here's something that I had a very hard time accepting: While a
few people will give you a thumbs-up for your negative campaigns,
most people want to associate with something they perceive as
being positive and will run from anything they perceive as being
negative.

Think of the scene from the musical,
"Oklahoma!" in which Curley gives up
his horse and his saddle -- everything
he owns -- in order to buy Miss Laurey's
box dinner. "It's for the new
schoolhouse," says the auctioneer.

We all love being part of something
larger than ourselves, some greater
good.

In order to accomplish anything, you're
going to have to have broad-based
community support, and this only
occurs with positive goals and
campaigns.

Pick a goal, any goal
Find a goal you and your small group can agree on, and distill it into
one sentence. This is useful because when reporters come calling
you'll already have your sound byte ready.

Your goal should be important to you and your group and your
community and one you can easily and quickly accomplish in a
short period--two or three months and no more than six.

If you're not sure where to begin -- the list is so long -- or can't agree
among yourselves, a good first goal might be to ask your school
district to post its check register online if it hasn't already. (How to
here) It's an easy, quick goal.

Think of yourselves more as guerrillas than Rotary. No fixed
meetings every Tuesday, no announcing how many members you
have or who they are, no lists of members, no lapel pins. Instead of
meeting at meetings, communicate via email and phone.

When you accomplish your goal, your community will sit up and
take note, favorably. Then disband and take a breather for a while
until you figure out what you want to accomplish next. Your next
goal will likely mean different participants because not everyone will
be interested in participating in everything.

One more thing about goals
Many times we want to start big and large, at the state level.

Better to start small, start simple, start local. Prove that your idea
can work locally and others will pick up on it, copy it. This is how
ideas spread.

Oklahoma movie poster

Some basic things to think about:

1. You can be angry and upset -- however righteously so --
OR you can be effective. You can't be both.

2. Using a carrot is more effective than using a stick.
Think about it. Would you rather have someone come after you
with a carrot or with a stick? Don't you become defensive
when somebody shakes a big stick at you?

3. Our school districts -- including administrators, board
members and those profiting from friendly relations with them --
may say they want more parental involvement. For some of
them this is true. For too many others, what they mean by
parental involvement is "Come write checks and say nice things
about us and don't question anything we say or do."

4. Our school districts may say they want to improve; here
again, some really do want to hear from us; for many others,
they don't really welcome your helpful suggestions even when
you know you're right and they're wrong. As my wise school
board trustee friend told me years ago: "When you criticize
them, you're calling their baby ' ugly.' " Your administrators and
trustees and their minions will take your factual comments and
questions personally and attack you personally in response.

5. Our public schools are essentially socialist models and
their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and
people skills.

6. The world of public education is a world of feelings.
Think about how often you've sat through a superintendent's
budget presentation to his/her board and/or the community and
at the end the supe says, "I feel good about this budget."
For many of us who live in the rational world we're not much
interested in our supe's feelings about the budget. We want to
know that based on his expertise with budgets (too often, too
little) he has presented a budget which will make ends meet.
When you talk with educators, talk about your feelings about a
topic rather than your thoughts about a topic.

7. In any endeavor, it's always a good idea to consider your
opponent. Really look at them. If the product your company
produces is packaged ice, you're not going to head north to
Alaska to sell it. No matter how nice you are, they're not going
to be interested up there.
Along these lines, keep in mind that most school districts today
are well-oiled (with your tax dollars) PR machines. The
average parent wading in to engage with them armed with facts
lubricated by some degree of righteous indignation stands little
or no chance of winning. It is like watching lambs marching
into the slaughterhouse.
Further, public schools are generally the largest budgets in our
counties; for this reason they have access to resources such as
money and legal help. IMPORTANT: Because your schools
can dominate any playing field available to them, you must pick
and choose a different playing field.
Emotions win over facts every time. No matter how well
prepared your spreadsheet is -- you Spreadsheet Dads know
who you are -- if you do not have some compelling facts to
present to your community, facts which will grip their
imaginations and hearts, your spreadsheet will accomplish little.

8. No matter how powerful you may be in your world, your
work arena, school is a different arena. You're playing on
someone else's turf and it behooves you to pay attention to how
they play the game. Your rules don't work in their arena. The
sooner and better you can master their rules including their
jargon the sooner you can be effective.

9. The broader your base, the broader your focus, the more
you want to serve rather than get (get something for yourself
and/or your family -- or get even) the more likely you are to
succeed in your goal of helping your district.

10. Let go of the idea you're a victim or you've been wronged.
Both will hinder your efforts.

Austin, Texas courtroom:
Lake Travis ISD SLAPP suit;
plaintiff's attorneys (L) and defense (R)

Walk softly
and carry a big stick.
-- Teddy Roosevelt

Trust but verify.
-- Ronald Reagan

USEFUL TO KEEP IN MIND

Citizen journalism 101

Every battle is won
before it is ever fought.

--Sun Tzu, The Art of War

During the 2004 election:

Bush is playing chess
and Kerry is playing checkers.

-- Dick Morris

More useful thoughts to keep in mind

HOME

Heads up, friends.   When you -- rational, law-abiding tax-paying folks that you are -- engage with your local public schools, too often you're reacting, which
gives the schools the upper hand every time.   Increasingly schools are upping the ante by filing SLAPP lawsuits and forbidding parents from entering
their kids' campuses to the point of arrest. Be smart: Get what you want and need by setting your own course and your own goals.   ACT -- DON'T REACT.