Engage with your Legislators!

Reach out to your state legislators. You can search for your legislators by your home or program address at the following site: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/maps/

You can send an email or set up a virtual visit. If you’d like to schedule a virtual visit with your legislator but would like additional support, please contact IACEA at [email protected]

Some 55,000+ Adult Education leaders stand united in a national campaign to move learning opportunities forward for all Americans to achieve economic and social mobility. If you are an adult educator, stand with us in this national campaign to help policy makers understand the value we bring to students, workers, and businesses in contributing to social mobility and economic growth. If we educate, then we elevate.

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Why an Adult Education Campaign?​

America is at a crossroads. We need every person in our nation ready to contribute to America’s competitiveness. The new White House Administration needs to know the value we bring as an adult education system and why funding is a high priority.

What is the benefit for participation? ​

Any adult educator and adult education organization may participate in the campaign. Through your success stories and innovations, your organization will be highlighted on the national website, and you’ll receive marketing materials with educational webinars on how to execute successfully to get national recognition and build a business case for support for adult education.  Collective storytelling and outcomes data make an impact on policymakers in helping them understand the value we bring to their priority agendas.

Resources from Educate & Elevate

• Get the Campaign Toolkit
• Read the Fact Sheet
• Watch our Video

Share your Success Story 

If you have a story, testimonial or innovation to submit you may submit them by emailing [email protected] or by going to the Educate & Elevate website. Click on the links below to complete a brief online form and instructions for submissions.

• Success Story--- a narrative that shares the challenge(s), solution(s), and outcome(s) of a student or employer.
• Customer Testimonial--- a first-person quote from a student about how adult education supported their goals and dreams and/or from an employer who had a great experience with an adult education organization and/or an adult learner.
• Innovation--- a narrative summary of an adult education program, project, or initiative that you believe has been innovative in helping students, employers, and/or your community.

Tools for​ Advocacy 

The following organizations have provided some excellent resources to help advocate for adult education. 

• COABE Media Outreach Toolkit for COABE Members
• Pro Literacy's AEFL Toolkit 
• National Coalition for Literacy AEFL Week Flyer
• National Skills Coalition Middle-Skills Fact Sheet (for Indiana)
• National Skills Coalition Fact Sheet
• Finish Your Diploma campaign toolkit - PSAs, videos, printable materials, social media assets, and helpful tips to engage your community and partners.​
• Find your IL State Legislators 

Additional Program Tools

Collective storytelling and outcomes data make an impact on policy makers in helping them understand the value we bring to their priority agendas. To help you advocate for Adult Education as an investment in America’s future, we have assembled these campaign outreach tools. These tools should help you showcase your success stories, garner press coverage, and motivate stakeholders to support adult education by contacting their legislators.
The Educate &  Elevate  Campaign Toolkit Includes:
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• Use this link to send a simple email to your federal legislators about funding support for adult education, and share the link with your friends and family
• Give this link to students to lend their support for adult education funding and to share their unique successes
• Campaign Fact Sheets you can send or bring to meetings with reporters or elected officials
• A one-page Fact Sheet with details on who we are, who we champion, who we lead, and who we equip
• A one-page Fact Sheet that highlights how adult education is an economic catalyst
• A Media Advisory Template to announce local events for The Educate &  Elevate campaign
• News Release Template to announce your partnership in the campaign with local elected officials
• A campaign video to use on your state and local websites to educate target audiences about our national efforts
• Example Commercial Spots Brevard Adult Education – Listen to how Brevard took the key messages for the campaign and created a local campaign. 
• Employer and student success stories, testimonials, and innovations taking place across the country in adult education
• Legislator Talking Points to use in presentations, customized letters, and on your website
• Learn how to arrange and conduct a visit with a legislator, legislative assistant, or regional representative
• Track your legislative appointments for this upcoming Capitol Hill Day in September 2017
• Strategies for a Legislative Briefing is a brief tutorial on what to do before, during and after a briefing
• Use this Stakeholder Event Planning Roadmap to plan an event at your adult school with legislators, employers, and other key stakeholders
• Editable Poster or Rally signs for events, town halls, and local rallies
• Legislator letter templates – Share the link with your mailing list! Supporters can customize and use the locator tool to send to each of their state and local representatives to ask their support for Adult Education
• Legislator postcards are a quick way to let stakeholders show their support; customize with mailing labels directing them to your Senator, Representative or local officials
• Sample Proclamation 1 to be used in conjunction with National Adult Education & Family Literacy Week end of September 2017
• Sample Proclamation 2 to be used anytime to coincide with your outreach efforts
• Dedicated social media channels on Twitter and Facebook and campaign hashtag #educate&elevate and #AEFLWeek to support National Adult Education & Family Literacy Week in September 2017
• Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to get a sample data sheet that you can model for local and state outreach efforts
• PowerPoint Template to build community and stakeholder presentations
• Educational webinars and coaching with national marketing and communications experts to leverage the Campaign Toolkit for your advocacy efforts
• Regular eblasts on campaign progress and highlights from across the country in adult education innovations and successes
• Post the Educate & Elevate logo to your website as a “Proud Partner”
• Download the State Director & State Leadership Mobilization Toolkit
• Download the PowerPoint Template to brief statewide adult education organizations about the campaign
• Take the State Director & State Leadership Participation Survey

We hope this toolkit helps you share your success and advocate for your programs and students. And feel free to share your successes–the stories that are written by and about you–with us–send them to info@EducateandElevate.org.