Governmental Relations: A Few Practical Tips to Get Started

State and federal legislatures and education departments continue to create legislation and policies affecting the future of concurrent enrollment programs and other models of early college access within their state borders. The NACEP Governmental Relations Committee has created some tips for members who want to impact decisions that affect their programs’ students:

1. Familiarize yourself with your lawmakers, both at the state and federal levels, especially those who serve on education committees or who were recently elected.
a. To locate contact information for the U.S. Senators from your state, visit www.senate.gov/ and click on ‘Senators.’
b. To locate contact information for the U.S. Representatives from your district, visit writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.
c. Contact information for state lawmakers can easily be located from your state government’s home page.

2. Review summaries of relevant bills introduced during the 112th session of Congress; of particular note is the incorporation of dual enrollment in the “Blueprint for Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).” (More here.)

3. Track state policy developments by monitoring the agendas of state legislative education committees, boards of education, boards of higher education, and college/university system trustees.

4. Identify the state and U.S. legislators who represent districts in which your concurrent enrollment program has partner high schools. Create brief data sheets illustrating the number of students in the school who earned concurrent enrollment last academic year, the number of credit hours earned, the savings to the families, and quotes from participants in their districts.
a. Use this information when writing letters or e-mails to lawmakers. A personal connection to home is important. Even better are stories from satisfied parents and students.
b. Tie in NACEP’s role in establishing an accepted set of national standards that promote high quality concurrent enrollment. NACEP’s Board has established a Platform which can be used as a framework for talking with policy-makers.

5. Contact the individuals who represent you. Lawmakers listen first and foremost to their constituents. Seek opportunities to speak with lawmakers about NACEP when they visit your campus or city or when you visit the state capital.

NACEP’s Governmental Affairs Committee can assist members in communicating with policy-makers, providing examples of policies from other states, materials, advice, and other assistance upon request. Contact Committee Chair Jaclyn Dumond at jddumond@usi.edu.