As a program leader, teacher-educator, or aspiring teacher, your voice has the power to shape change efforts for attracting, preparing, and retaining a diverse educator workforce.
At DFI, we believe that practice should inform policy, and we're committed to empowering education leaders and practitioners to champion the needs of their communities. Our Advocacy in Action Lab training services offer an immersive, hands-on approach for you to build the skills and knowledge necessary for effective advocacy.
We provide half- and full-day workshops that build you and your team's capacity as advocates for more accessible, practice-based, and instructionally-focused pathways into teaching. Our sessions are:
Facilitated by DFI staff with expertise as education leaders and advocates.
DFI has a proven track record of working with and amplifying the voices of education leaders and institutions across the country to strengthen their advocacy efforts to influence public policy, discourse, and philanthropy. Our workshops are grounded in practical experience and designed to empower participants with the tools needed to influence policy, communicate effectively, and build coalitions that drive change
Tailored and customizable to local context.
We understand that no two contexts are the same. Our training sessions are tailored to your local context and advocacy goals. Whether it's navigating politically divisive concepts, preparing for public testimony, or stakeholder mapping, we ensure that your team is equipped to tackle the challenges ahead.
Grounded in evidence and practice.
Our workshops are grounded in the research and evidence-base that undergirds successful advocacy efforts. They are designed to be interactive, blending in-depth discussions, examples and non-examples of effective advocacy, and with authentic practice opportunities. From role-playing to real-time feedback, participants gain practical skills that can be immediately applied to their advocacy work.
Ready to become an effective advocate?
Tell us what you need and how you think our Advocacy in Action Labs could help.
Our Support in 'Action'
How are our advocacy trainings and support structures leading to real and meaningful change efforts? Here are a few examples:
COALITION-BASED ADVOCACY: Amplifying diverse voices to call for state-wide change
We supported a coalition of Tennessee deans and leaders whose institutions prepare more than 50% of the state's future educators to build their capacity to advocate for greater state investment in developing attractive, high-quality teaching pathways. This resulted in coalition members penning a call-to-action op-ed, co-authoring a letter to the Department of Education on math instruction, and building stakeholder investment at key legislative and field convenings.
MULTI-STATE ADVOCACY: Igniting a vision for collective change with education leaders
We led a workshop for 50 education deans and leaders that supported them to ideate on how they can translate on-the-ground successes and challenges in their institutional contexts to policy solutions.
STATE AND FEDERAL ADVOCACY: Developing practitioners' capacity for legislative engagements
Through multiple virtual engagements and prep calls, we built the capacity of program leaders and practitioners representing more than 20 tutoring organizations and teaching programs to advocate for the mobilizing of aspiring teachers as tutors to strengthen tutor-to-teacher pipelines. We supported them with state and federal advocacy tools like this one and coached them for conversations with policymakers in their states and in Washington, D.C.
Related Tools and Resources
Policy and Advocacy
