Advocacy has become a core responsibility in a principal’s job, as schools face increasing political scrutiny, dipping enrollment, and fewer resources to serve diverse students’ needs.
Some principals learned early in their careers that if they don’t champion their schools, no one else will. Angie Charboneau-Folch, the principal of the Integrated Arts Academy in Chaska, Minn., meets frequently with legislators about policies that impact public schools.
As a queer, brown leader, Charboneau-Folch said she’s had to advocate for herself in conversations that weren’t typically open to her. Through that experience, Charboneau-Folch realized that “[If] it’s been hard for me as an adult, what is it like for young people in our schools? That’s been a big part of my advocacy work to make sure that our students feel safe every day walking into our schools.”
Chase Christensen, the superintendent of the Sheridan County school district and the principal of Arvada-Clearmont school in Wyoming, has forged strong relationships with state-level representatives. He often leads groups of principals in conversations with legislators on topics that deeply affect schools in his area, like funding support for small school districts.
For example, Christensen recently fought back against a bill that would only provide funding for much fewer teachers in the states’ smallest districts. Christensen drafted an amendment to the bill and got the number back up to 17, from the proposed nine teachers.
Christensen spends his evenings and weekends reading proposed bills and following the legislative sessions to stay informed about changes that may impact schools.
“Our setup is complex. Educators are the ones [who] understand it,” he said. “We gotta make sure that the people making decisions are informed by us.”
But principals need to take crucial steps before approaching lawmakers with specific asks.
For one, their ask should center teacher and student voices, said Christensen. He and other principals shared strategies on how to advocate for public schools on April 17 in Washington at the National Education Leadership Awards, hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Here are the key takeaways.
Strengthen all voices
As a former government teacher and former principal of Florence Learning Center in Florence, Ala., Rod Sheppard has taught students throughout his career that they have the power to shape lawmakers’ decisions.
Sheppard, now the deputy superintendent of the Florence City schools, advocates at the federal and state levels for continued Title I funding and more services for students with mental health challenges.
“It’s very important to me to explain to students that you have power. That you could write a letter or an email to your legislator or you can get on a bus with us and you can go to Montgomery (the state capital) to an advocacy day,” said Sheppard.
It’s also important to remind legislators that students have the power to influence at least two voters, even if they’re not voters yet, Sheppard added.
Christensen meets weekly with his fellow superintendents to discuss common challenges. At every meeting, he asks his colleagues about principals who may want to join his advocacy efforts at the state level.
“We have to know who needs to be talked to and we have to know the time at which that needs to occur, but it doesn’t have to be our voice at the table,” said Christensen.
He keeps specific principals, teachers, and students on speed dial. When an issue, like teacher hiring, arises in the state legislature, Christensen knows exactly who to call.
Invite lawmakers in
Legislators often prefer hearing directly from teachers, students, and parents more than school leaders, said Christensen. But arranging face time isn’t always easy.
Charboneau-Folch helped implement a Principal for a Day initiative across Minnesota, where legislators visit schools, talk with students and staff, and see firsthand how funding affects learning.
On one such visit, Charboneau-Folch realized just how disconnected her legislators were from her alternative school.
“My state representative literally said to me, ‘I didn’t know [this] school was in my district,’” Charboneau-Folch said. She noted that alternative schools are often overlooked.
When legislators visit, Charboneau-Folch lets the student senate lead tours, and present their asks.
Decisions aren’t just made at the state or federal level. School board meetings are often where the most contentious debates take place.
Christensen emphasized that school board representatives also need to hear directly from students impacted by those decisions.
Principals should avoid giving students a script of issues to talk about. Christensen once provided talking points, but found they fell flat.
“That was a failure in my understanding that students already have the power and they know the important things to talk about,” he said. “We just need to get out of the way and make sure that they’ve got a place to take those conversations.”
Power up the personal story
Principals should lean on personal stories when reaching out to legislators, said Sheppard, and clearly connect those stories to their policy asks.
After suffering a stroke while serving as a school leader, Sheppard began using his experience to advocate for student mental health services. Real classroom stories—student outbursts, trauma, and daily challenges—help illustrate the need for resources.
In Minnesota, student voices have been especially critical following widespread immigration-enforcement actions that abruptly shut schools down in January 2026, creating a “very COVID-like effect,” said Charboneau-Folch.
When a legislator visited her school , one student shared her fears of losing her immigrant mother to the raids and having no place to go with her siblings if that happened.
“As a principal, I would never be able to convey a student’s lived experience like this,” Charboneau-Folch said. “Those are the important conversations to have when legislators visit.”
