Parent Power! Helping You Make Sense of Schooling Today

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parentpower@edreform.com www.edreform.com

Published by The Center for Education Reform Jeanne Allen, President

To share a unique experience as a parent educating your child or comment about this newsletter, please contact Parent Power by phone or email.

Dear Parents:

         This month marks the fifth edition of Parent Power! and its official switch to an eight-issue year to help you balance out your reading and the demands of the school year. Each issue will contain more information for you. We also want your advice and feedback. Your positive comments have warmed and encouraged us. Now it's your turn to tell us what topics you'd like us to cover. We're also introducing a new section called A Parent's Turn. Each month we'll pick the best submission and share your educational findings or thoughts with fellow parents. As the kids say on the playground, "On your mark, Get Set - Go!" We're looking forward to getting to know you better!

 The Editors

Into every parent's life comes a time when outrage gives way to activism. Frustration can be turned into productive action if parents find the courage, the tools, and the strategies to be effective advocates.

Here are some tips on how to get involved:

1 The Only Thing To Fear…Is Nobody Else Doing the Job

It's easy to get together with supporters of your cause and complain. It's far tougher to be the one on the firing line. But someone has to do it and if you're the one who has the time, the energy and the passion, don't shirk the responsibility because of a few stage jitters.

How do you turn yourself from a shrinking violet into a dynamic leader? Toastmasters clubs can help prepare you for public speaking, or you can let experience be your teacher. Start by over-preparing for any public appearance. Approach your topic as if it were a school assignment, researching and rehearsing as much as possible. Don't be afraid to read from prepared remarks. Soon, you'll become comfortable enough to shed the papers.

2 Information is Power

The best way to overcome fears is to become an expert yourself. Read everything you can get your hands on about your topic. Much of it is probably available on the Internet these days. Don't stop with the information that bolsters your point of view. Read your opposition's material too. It can often provide you with the confidence to rebut arguments before they are made. Be careful your sources are unbiased. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call a researcher to ask follow up questions. You'd be surprised how accessible some are.

3 Practice Makes Perfect

Okay, you're reasonably calm. You've educated yourself. Now, your first public appearance is on the calendar. You have to appear before a school committee, on a radio talk show, or participate in a debate. All of these adversarial events require adversarial practice. Get some supporters together and go through a "mock event." Have them throw combative questions at you and critique your responses. Tell them to test your ability to stay calm. When everyone's gone home and you're alone, practice some more. Only by saying the words you want to use over and over will you avoid falling into a rhetorical abyss.

4 Think Strategically

You will never be able to convince everyone to believe in your cause. Focus your efforts instead on the "undecided." When debating an opponent or speaking with a skeptical reporter, remember that your goal is to win the audience over. Show as well as tell your story by always appearing rational, reasonable, and compassionate.

5 You Can't Do Everything - and Shouldn't

If there are activities for which you can find no comfort level at all find someone else to handle those efforts. Sometimes help is just a phone call away.

Making a difference takes time and effort, and can be enormously rewarding for you and your community. Do you have a story about how you made a difference? Write in and share your experience!

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