Become an advocate take an active and public role alerting the public of the need for STEM education reform by communicating the message to communities, school boards, national education commissions, or Congress.

• Tell your peers, organization, and local school board about the recent research on science education learning and the resources available to translate research into practice in the classroom.
  • Scientists and engineers convey a level of expertise that is respected by the public audience. By communicating the importance of education reform and expressing personal support for best practices, scientists and engineers can help initiate a chain of support in local school districts.
• Contribute knowledge and experience to  help support advocacy positions
  • Scientists and engineers can convey their own personal experiences and expertise in order to help initiate advocacy points that are suited to science departments of institutes of higher education, professional society education committees, local school district science programs, and additional sites in need of science education reform.
• Convey important messages to Congress regarding expert position on science education issues.
  • In order to ensure that the advocacy message is conveyed most effectively and is well received, consider the need to: demonstrate awareness of Congressional process and background information on the topic and context of debate, time advocacy efforts appropriately to coincide with the Congressional calendar, clearly convey the specific issue and suggested solution, and tailor the message to the audience in order to provide context and convey respect for their intelligence and knowledge base.
    • American Association for the Advancement of Science. Working With Congress: Web Resources for Scientists and Engineers.
• Convey research findings and opinions to the public through media outlets.
  • The media can be an effective tool to promote a specific message, but scientists and engineers should ensure that their communication is clear. In order to do so, scientists and engineers can prepare for media contact by outlining key points and preparing visual support and by becoming knowledgeable about the best practices for interacting with specific media outlets (print, television, radio).
    • For a full guide to interacting with the media, refer to: Funsten, H.O. “You and the Media: A researcher’s guide for dealing successfully with the news media.” Public Information Committee, American Geophysical Union. 2004. 
• Write a letter to the editor in support of research-based science education in your district
  • Scientists and engineers can convey their messages regarding science education via written communication. This action requires less time than visiting a specific site to advocate a position and does not require public speaking, providing an alternate way for scientists and engineers to contribute their expertise to the reform efforts without direct personal interaction.