Category Archives: Communications

Why is this Argument Against Charter Schools so Sticky?

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sticky

One of the most common arguments I hear against expanding charter school goes something like this: “charter schools were meant to be laboratories of innovation, but now they’re taking over public schools.”

My response generally goes something like this: “if something is working for poor and minority students, why wouldn’t you want to expand it?”

My response aside, it’s worth considering why this argument against charter schools is so sticky.

Some guesses:

Status Quo Bias: People react negatively to major changes; this seems especially true for public schooling.

Union Support: If you view teachers unions as a major positive force in society, you might be ok with charters serving 10% of students (as a method for increasing innovation), but you might be worried that significantly increasing charter schools would take too big of a toll on union membership.

Inequity: If you believe that charters skim for the highest performing students, you might be worried that increasing charter market share would also increase inequitable practices (of course, if charters hit 100% market share, it would be impossible for them to skim).

Anything else I’m missing?

My guess is that, for your average person, status quo bias is the main rationale.

For people more familiar with education, union membership and inequity are also major reasons.

Moving forward, I may try to proactively raise this issue in my speeches and writings, as it is an argument that generally arises very early in discussion.

Diane Ravitch is Good at Speaking to the Tribe

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ravitch

Diane Ravitch had a piece in this week’s NYRB: The Lost Purpose of School Reform.

I found Ravitch’s tone to be subdued and her claims to be relatively measured, especially in comparison to her blog.

For example, on charters, Ravitch writes in the NYRB:

Charter schools have a spotty record; a few charter chains post high test scores, but most charters perform no better—and often much worse—than public schools.

This is an incomplete take: Ravitch does not mention how urban charter schools are consistently outperforming their traditional peers. But her analysis is surely not outlandish, and the tone is professional.

Yet here is Ravitch talking about New Orleans on her blog:

…yet the media continue to spout the same claims from the advocates of privatization: wipe out public education, fire all the teachers, welcome privately managed charters, staff the schools with Teach for America, and–Voila!–everyone succeeds, no child left behind, an excellent education for all children! The actions are true: the public schools were closed, the teachers were fired, the charters sprouted in every part of New Orleans. But the results didn’t happen. New Orleans is today one of the lowest performing districts in the state. We leave it to students of mass psychology and the media to explain why the national media falls for the narrative repeatedly. Maybe because it is a good story, even if it is not true. Maybe they want to believe in miracles.

Not exactly the most nuanced take.

Clearly, Ravitch knows she is speaking to different audiences when she writes for the NYRB and when she writes on her blog.

When writing in the NYRB, she uses historical and policy analysis to speak to the left’s elite.

When writing on her blog, she uses hyperbole to speak to her base.

Ravitch’s ability to speak to the tribe is one of the many reasons that she is a skilled communicator.

Speak to the Tribe

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birds

I just read this Mark Suster on PR, which I got me thinking about the subject.

Here’s some additional advice that, I think, especially applies to public sector work:

1. Public Sector Communication is Mostly About Overcoming Tribal Affiliation, Not Information Gaps

If you are correct on the merits, and you are trying to convince someone who disagrees with you, it’s best to assume that this disagreement stems from tribal affiliation rather than data. Why? Because that’s how humans work, especially with regards to politics. People listen to your message as members of tribes, and if someone doesn’t agree with you it’s likely in part because their tribe doesn’t agree with you.

2. The Best Way to Overcome Tribal Affiliation is to Tell Stories in Their Tribe’s Language

Basically, you’re trying to convince people that you’re really part of their tribe, even if it might appear to them that you’re not. The best way to do this is to tell stories in their language. Politically speaking, if you’re talking to conservatives talk about the continuation of our country’s history; if you’re talking to liberals talk about fighting for the oppressed; if you’re talking to libertarians talk about freedom. The hard part about this is you have to be authentic: you have to tell your story in their language in a way that rings true, and, substantively speaking, is true.

3. When in Doubt, Use the Story -> Data -> Story Method

Start with a story, then deliver the data (simply!), then end with a story. To the extent the people in the audience care about the data, you will have given it to them. To the extent the people in the audience are like most people in most audiences, you’ll have at least told two stories in their language.

None to the is very novel, but I’m amazed at how tone deaf people are when they are speaking to tribes that aren’t their own. Pay attention to this stuff!