Business Coalition Strengthens Education Reform Laws
Problem:
Although education reform legislation had passed two years earlier, the Illinois General Assembly was considering watering down specific measures to implement standards-based teacher certification, practices and policies. Chicago United, a consortium of Chicago business leaders, was seeking to organize a public education campaign to promote an environment favorable to applying high standards and a rigorous, fair and meaningful assessment system to help improve the quality of Illinois' teachers.
What we did:
Working with Jasculca/Terman, a Chicago public relations firm, Public Opinion Strategies conducted focus groups among a diverse spectrum of voters and parents around the state, including Latinos and African Americans in urban Chicago, suburbanites in the North suburbs, and down-state voters in Peoria. The qualitative research helped underscore the importance of language in discussing the issue of teacher competency. For example, in discussing the ability to weed out "bad teachers" through these assessments, many voters were reluctant to call teachers "bad" as if them seemed to imply they were "bad people." Instead, focus group respondents came up with the term "problem teachers" to define teachers they might want a child of theirs to avoid having as a teacher.
The focus groups were followed by a statewide survey of voters, including an oversample of parents. The survey showed strong public support for higher standards for teacher certification and helped focus the messages for the public education effort to create awareness about and support for teacher certification reform legislation.
The Result:
This use of smart opinion research to develop compelling messages moved the Illinois House to invite Chicago United and the business community to the table to help negotiate stronger teacher certification legislation.
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