Education reformers live in a world of data, accountability, policy, and percentiles. We are most comfortable debating ideas, writing papers, and talking to each other. But when it comes to telling powerful stories to inspire change, we have a lot to learn from one public school student in New York City.
Thirteen-year-old Vidal Chastanet was stopped and asked by Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton, “Who is the most influential person in your life?” With his answer—Nadia Lopez, principal at Mott Hall Bridges Academy (MHBA)—Vidal reached the hearts of millions of people.
“When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.”
Vidal’s answer went viral on Facebook, leading him to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the White House last week. A fundraising campaign set up to help MHBA send students on a trip to Harvard over the summer raised $1.2 million.
Vidal’s story transcended mediums, inspired thousands, and raised millions because it went directly to people’s hearts. It is universal, human, and real.
At Education Cities, a national network of city-based organizations committed to improving public education, we challenge our network members, and ourselves, to reach for hearts, not just minds.
What should our members, and all those committed to expanding opportunity, learn from Vidal?
First, tap into shared beliefs.
Look at how Ms. Lopez justified the trip to Harvard. No “reform-speak” here. It’s not because she wanted all her students to go to college or succeed in a twenty-first-century economy (although both are surely true). It’s because she wanted “my scholars to know that there is not a single place they don’t belong.”
Don’t we all want the same for every child?
When reformers talk about ideas or policies that help more children have access to great schools, let’s root conversations in shared experiences and beliefs.
Second, trust the messenger.
There are few things more genuine than the honest words of a thirteen-year-old student, or a dedicated principal like Ms. Lopez. Why don’t we let them do more of the talking? Let’s support the voices of parents and children and stop doing all the pontificating ourselves.
And when they do speak up, parents and students can’t just be mouthpieces for our agendas. A national reporter who followed the parent trigger story in Adelanto, California recently told us that, when the effort first started, parents were great spokespeople—sincere, honest, candid. After time, they became “robots,” repeating talking point after talking point fed to them by organizations with something at stake.
The most effective messengers are educators, parents, and students. Let’s do more to elevate their voices without trying to control everything.
Third, let’s simplify our messages.
The next time you need to advocate for equitable funding for charter school students, take a cue from Stanton. On the fundraising page for the Harvard trip, he wrote: “Principal Lopez estimates that two-thirds of her budget every year goes toward her teachers' salaries, and what little remains goes towards the school's core programs.”
You know what is embedded in that statement? The fact that Ms. Lopez can’t control her budget. The fact that MHBA has to sacrifice enrichment activities for core programming. The fact that Ms. Lopez has to spend her time finding philanthropic funding to enhance the education of MHBA students.
Complex arguments, edu-jargon, and out-of-touch spokespeople are not the way to win hearts and minds. I am as guilty of falling into these traps as anyone else. But we need to remember that the fight to improve public education is not an academic debate, and we won’t be successful unless we can reach people’s hearts.
The overwhelming majority of us will never have the audience of Vidal or Humans of New York. But this story offers lessons for those of us seeking to reconnect with the human motivations behind our work.
Ethan Gray is the founder and CEO of Education Cities.