Public Schools: A Critical Part of Our Democracy
Happy September—it’s back to school time for many of our families! That means it’s the best time to reflect on the importance of public education, why public schools are a cornerstone of our democracy, and why that makes school an excellent starting point when it comes to long-term, pro-democracy content.
We all want safe schools where kids can get a great education and grow up to become informed participants in our civic systems. That’s something nearly everyone can agree on!
Public schools are also where we see many “big issues” come to a head, whether it’s book bans or protecting transgender kids or disagreements about how to teach our nation’s complicated history. These are exactly the types of issues Galvanize USA is helping our audience make sense of every single day. For example, when an executive order that threatened the Department of Education was signed, our Dear Grace advice column helped readers see just how many Americans have been positively impacted by public education and just how strong support for funding those schools is. This helps our audience see that they’re not alone in caring about our schools!
“Ever since the Executive Order was signed to shut down the Department of Education last week, our public school communities–students, teachers, parents, and staff–have been on my mind. It’s hard to say for sure how the millions of students and families who rely on federal funding will be impacted but now felt like the right time to reflect on the role that public education has played in our lives.
Dear Grace
It turns out, around 90% of us were public school kids ourselves and many of our kids were (or are!) as well. Even among those of us who were homeschooled or attended private school, the majority say that we want our tax dollars to support public education so that all kids get a good start in life, no matter their background or zip code.“
This is a powerful example of how public schools are a great entry point to engaging with our democracy. Almost everyone has experience with schools! Someone who is uncomfortable calling her state representative might be more familiar with attending a PTA meeting. Someone who would never go to a protest might be willing to post a yard sign about a local school issue. Everyone cares about education, so our public schools are a fantastic gateway to acting on that care and getting involved with civic life! It’s the perfect issue to illustrate Galvanize USA’s long-term, multi-channel approach to connecting with women.
Picture this: an ideologically-moderate woman gets a text message from our trusted advice columnist that inspires her to reflect on her first grade teacher:
“Hi [name], it’s Grace. Do you remember your first grade teacher? Mine was Ms. Lucy, and she made a huge impact on me. I’d love to hear about your experience with school. How does public school shape your life and community?”
When she clicks into that message, she gets to answer a quick poll about the most valuable lesson her teachers taught her.
Later, she reads a Dear Grace article that teaches her that most people support funding public schools with our tax dollars, and then reads positive comments about teachers when more of our content hits her Instagram feed. Ultimately, she becomes more confident and speaks up at a community town hall when her child’s public school needs her support. Now she’s aligning her civic actions with her pro-education values!
This is how we move women from casual media consumption to a shift in perspective to meaningful action that supports our democracy! Stay tuned as we continue to develop a full spectrum of cultural content that fulfills emotional needs and shapes civic behavior. We can’t wait to share more content that meets our audience at their values, shows up on the platforms where our research shows they spend time, fosters social cohesion, and increases prosocial civic engagement! As a bonus, here’s a little more of what our audience had to say about what they learned from their teachers:
“Public school means opportunity, meeting, and connecting with my neighbors, and it means learning about people who are different from me.”
“I learned valuable life skills, like how to work with others, acceptance, and tolerance of our differences.”
“Education for anyone no matter race, creed, or financial status.“
What’s more pro-democracy than that?
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This blog’s author would also like to thank her own first grade teacher, Mrs. Parry!
