A wide range of advocacy support is available to NAfME members. NAfME’s State Advocacy Engagement Manager Jazzmone Sutton is available to help your Music Education Association (MEA) accomplish its education policy goals, offering guidance for how you and your state association can:
- effectively lobby legislators
- conduct research for specific legislative targets
- formulate a plan of action for achieving your legislative goals
- develop effective partnerships with other local organizations that may have similar legislative goals.
Research Data and Analysis
NAfME monitors legislative and regulatory activity nationwide to identify policy proposals that impact music education. Policy staff also curate and share news articles and research studies pertaining to education policy. Through the Advocacy Leadership Force (ALF), NAfME provides timely updates on developments to state advocacy representatives. If there are specific issue areas for which you’d like in-depth information, NAfME staff can assist in policy research and analysis.
Consulting
NAfME staff can help your state MEA craft a specific plan of action to strengthen music education policy in your school district and state and provide guidance for members who want to take a role in advocacy at the state and local levels. We can hold conference calls with you and your state’s leaders to discuss strategy and help decide the best route for your state association, including advice on who should you meet with and how to work with them.
Presentations
NAfME staff can present at your state conventions and board meetings on effectively lobbying state officials and a wide variety of other advocacy topics. There is a vast amount of experience dealing with legislators on NAfME’s Public Policy team and they have presented at numerous state conventions around the country.
Meeting Preparation with Key Stakeholders
NAfME can help prepare materials for specific members of Congress or your state legislature, and help you determine what materials to present to key stakeholders. NAfME Policy staff can also assist with preparing for testimony, crafting legislative talking points, and preparation of one-pagers and other advocacy documentation.
Grassroots advocacy campaigns
NAfME can coordinate grassroots advocacy campaigns that enable your MEA to respond to policies proposed in your state. Whether it is policy that helps or hurts music education, NAfME can help you mobilize the local arts educator community through email or social media campaigns that implore state officials to take action supporting music education.
