Researching the Issue - Lobbying for Smaller Schools: Educating all of Philadelphia

Research the Issue

1. What is the status of your issue at the legislature? Is this a "good" year?
*4 elected officials, and one committee have indicated support for our issue, that has a strong background with media attention. These officials have lots of power and can influence the decisions of many people and take this lobbying assignment to the furthest extent that it can go. Our opponents would be the larger schools who have a good reputation for being a larger school, without the separation of academies, or having pupils from alternative schools attending their successful institution. So far there have been no policies
2. Who is essential to the outcome?
*These are the allies that we need on board in order to allow our points to reach a higher power in the world. These are the people who can make that happen:
* Robert A. Brady
* Michael Nutter
* Johnny Irizarry
* Denise McGregor Armbrister
* The Lifeworks Alternative School.
We also need the School Reform Commission’s meetings to allow the public to understand our views as we will attend these meetings and express this issue to all who attend. The officials who conduct these meetings can allow the issues to reach the higher powers above.

3. Who else is working on this? Can you coordinate?
*Amirah Burkett and Sinnea Douglas, other seniors at SLA are also lobbying on adequate education. We don’t all have the same exact focus areas but we can use each other’s findings to make a stronger debate, on why education has become such a prevalent issue in this futuristic society we live in today. We have already planned a meeting with the two of them to make an action plan.
* Small academies and schools with a good basis or primary focus are ones who play a key role in helping us lobby for smaller schools. When the focus comes to these alternative schools, after we have influenced the public, we will use the influence these small schools/academies have on the public eye, and reach out to the alternative schools. This process will enable the students being taught there to branch out to receive a better education from a more focused curriculum. These students will be given a second chance to not only turn their lives around, but make a future for themselves in the process.

4. Who can you influence?
* With the help of some very influential figures in the realm of education, we will be able to convey our message across a broad range of schools. Varying from the alternative, public, private, catholic, and parochial, a good education needs to be provided to all students. No matter what the reason, all students need to have access to the same tools and resources to receive an equal education.
*We also believe that there needs to be a higher authority addressing these concerns as well. If this concern reaches a level to which it receives national attention, we believe it should be worthy enough to be put in-front of the President Barack Obama, and The Department of Education Head Arne Duncan.

5. What is the time frame?
*Although our class, American Government, will only run until the end of our second quarter (Mid January) there isn’t really a time limit to this project.  Yes, we will not be required to lobby, research and influence, but lobbying isn’t really effective unless you have desire to do it. Hopefully we will have enough success so that we can continue to lobby for it in the future, on our own time.  If not, we could always pass it down for another group of seniors to tackle in the 2011-2012 school year.
6. When are key dates - meetings, committee hearings, deadlines, etc.
Monday November 29, 2010 Meeting with Amirah and Sinnea about collaborating
Thursday December 2, 2010 Meeting with Bach Tong about his experiences
Wednesday December 8, 2010 @ 2:00 PM an SCR planning meeting
Wednesday December 15, 2010 @ 2:00 PM an SCR action meeting