Influencing Policymakers with Video for NAPCS

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools faces the challenge of educating the public on the intricacies of the charter school system and dispelling common misconceptions. Despite the growing popularity of charter schools, there still needs to be more clarity and understanding surrounding how they work, making it difficult for the National Alliance to advocate effectively for the charter school movement. For example, many people are under the false impression that charter schools are private schools or that they receive more funding than traditional public schools. 

NAPCS needed a clear and concise way to unpack the concept of charter school funding while making it eye-catching. They sought out Social Driver to create a video that addressed the issue of spending money in the classroom (through funding), not on the classroom.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools works tirelessly to clear up these misunderstandings and explain the true nature of charter schools so that families, educators, and policymakers can make informed decisions about the future of public education. To do so effectively, Social Driver created the explainer video to debunk the common misconceptions, explain the confusing specifics, and ultimately educate to inspire and support charter schools. 

Social Driver created a video that addresses charter schools' challenges and the impact underfunding had on students and their futures. "Our goal was to create a series of videos that would help lawmakers understand the urgency and importance of the issue," said Jennifer Diaz, Vice President of Communications at NAPCS. "We wanted to create videos to engage, educate, and inspire action."

To accomplish this, Social Driver worked closely with NAPCS to understand the key issues and to craft a message that would resonate. The team used a mix of animation, graphics, and real-life stories to bring the issues to life and to make them relatable and compelling.

Social Driver created these videos to support NAPCS. They were engaging, impactful, and informative videos that could help anyone, from lawmakers to parents, better understand charter schools. The video took a complex issue, broke it down, and was used to cut through the noise with policymakers and helped the client win in the public policy space.

In 2022, these videos were a vital tool in advocating for change. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Public Charter Schools of New Mexico collaborated to draw attention to the disparities in charter school facilities ahead of the vote on House Bill 43. The bill sought to improve state support for charter school facilities, offering a $700 per-pupil lease assistance allotment, establishing a $10 million revolving loan fund, and ensuring unused district facilities were available to charter schools. 

Their multimedia campaign featured earned media, digital ads, calls to action, and targeted displays with a clear message that all public school students should have equal access to funding for facilities. This campaign leveraged Social Driver's video throughout but saw the most success as a paid ad, specifically targeting those in the New Mexico legislature and the general public to make a powerful case for change. NAPCS ran ads that geo-targeted the legislature, repeatedly serving the video to lawmakers in the hope it would educate and inform them on the issue. 

The result was that the bill was unanimously passed by both chambers of the legislature and signed by the governor, marking a different outcome from previous years. In addition to passed legislation in New Mexico, the campaign generated over 300,000 direct impressions and 11,193 engagements on HB 43 materials in New Mexico and the state capital. The social media campaign's strategy differed from previous years, focusing on repeatedly delivering a simple, relevant message, in the form of Social Driver’s video, to a specific audience.