There was a phrase from last week’s CTF President’s Forum in Halifax that emerged on the first day and quickly became part of the accepted discourse of the assembly. The first person to use it, if memory serves me correctly, was People for Education’s Annie Kidder. The last time it was used was during the final remarks by discussant Charles Ungerleider who used it as part of his call to action for the gathered delegates:
If we want to win the hearts and minds of the public, we have to…
The first time it was used, I didn’t think much of it, assuming that it was said inserted for effect. The second time, I squirmed a little. The third and fourth time, I began to wonder whether folks realized what they were affirming by allowing it to go unchallenged.
Not only is the idea of winning hearts and minds most often associated with the idea of persuading a subjugated people that what is being done to them is somehow positive, but it strikes me as more than a little disconcerting that the public needs to be brought onside—won over—when it comes to what is happening in public education. Have we become so cut off from the democratic principles and ideals that are the core of this enterprise that the very people that dedicate their lives to serving the system have to somehow use approaches and tactics normally reserved for military strategists?
I don’t disagree that educators at all levels of the system would do well to examine the way that we communicate our hopes and dreams for our public schools, but the assumptions that ground the idea of needing to win hearts and minds seems a little odd, if not disturbing.
Public Education is the privilege and responsibility of us all. It should be built and developed on principles that accurately reflect a democratically discerned (and discernable) set of beliefs and values. If this is true, then the hearts and minds of the public will already be with us, because they are us!
Has the political appropriation of the public agenda around education caused us to lose sight of the importance of public conversation and dialogue around this fundamentally “public” institution?
What public education is has changed radically over the past 20 years and part of that has very little to do with education itself. The whole idea of a public service or good is being questioned. People are more isolated and less willing to pay for things that benefit others. We see this in health care, public services, taxes, etc.
Many parents now see their local public school as one of several options for their children and they compare it against private schools, special programs, home schooling, etc. Whether we like it or not the landscape is being changed and the people we are serving are asking questions about what public education is and why they should continue funding it. If we want them to hear what our vision is for public education and gain their trust and support we need to meet them where they are.
We need to tell our stories and do it in ways that they will listen. We can take the high ground and refuse to lower ourselves to that level but that won’t stop the questions form being asked. All it will mean is that people will be hearing other stories about how graduates aren’t prepared for the workforce, teachers are overpaid and lazy, private schools are better and public schools are dangerous.
We need to enter into a discussion with the public about public education and that means meeting them where they are. We are bombarded with info from all directions trying to influence our opinions about every matter possible. We need to be a part of that or we will become just another educational option that a voucher can be used on.
Andrew, I read your comment after I read John’s; there are some very important issues to tackle here. I suppose that I, like many others, wish that the idea of the public good was not under attack, but if it truly is, then action is required.
So, how do we begin to frame our stories in powerful and compelling ways? What is it about the “public” in public education, health care, space, etc. that is so important?
Thanks for shaking me out of my somewhat idealistic “wishful thinking”.
I’m with you. And yet, I find myself thinking, “We need better stories” and “We need people to see what this matters.” Perhaps “wining hearts” isn’t it. However, the public has been duped by Khan Artists and corporate reformers too long. They’ve bought into lies and in many cases they don’t even believe in the notion of anything public being good at all. The sense that “we” own anything is viewed as a dangerous idea. So, if not win hearts, we certainly need to do something.
John, I totally agree that there has been a seduction of the public, and it has broken that intimate relationship that should exist between the person on the street and the very institutions that are created “in our image”. But then again, as you remind me about the need for better stories, I’m wondering whether the “apparent” value shifts that have taken part in other aspects of our lives. Has there been an erosion of the need for anything that is truly public. Hmmm…